LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — No matter how you view it, homelessness is a serious and complicated community issue that impacts us all.
Some see it as a neighborhood blight, a danger, a threat. Others see the humanity, the suffering and despair of those who find themselves living on Las Vegas streets.
The reasons behind homlessness are many. Be it job loss, eviction, drug addiction, domestic violence, mental health issues or a combination of those or other factors, the problem is complex and difficult to address.
We wanted to learn more about what's being done at the ground level, so we hit the streets with a City of Las Vegas outreach team to see their efforts first-hand.
Their mission?
"To let them know who we are, that we are not strangers here to hurt them, but to assist them," explained a member of the city's Multi-agency Outreach Resource Engagement (MORE) team.
MORE team members approach the unhoused in tunnels and under bridges, on sidewalks and in vacant lots. Places not meant for human habitation, and where they're not supposed to be, asking, "Do you need anything? Do you want transportation to shelter? Do you want help with your ID? Do you want to go take a shower? Clothing?"
Sometimes, the homeless decline help. But they must heed team members' warnings.
"I'm going to just please advise you to relocate as soon as possible. Because we were out here yesterday, and I'd hate for the enforcement team to come and take all your stuff," one MORE team member said.
Some are embarrassed by their situation. One man who needed help tying his shoes hid his face from our camera before allowing the MORE team to transport him to University Medical Center for emergency medical care.
Others were willing to share their struggle.
We spoke to Danny Mallett, who's lived on the streets for three years with his wife and two dogs. Their current home is under an old box truck.
"Out here... It's hard," said Mallett. "We do our best to do things the right way, keep the area clean that we're in, and I do work for several of the businesses around here and make a little bit of money. We saved up a little bit of cash, so hopefully we're not where we are too much longer."
Mallett says they've been working with the MORE team for about a year and a half.
"They come to us once a week, usually, check in on us, make sure we're doing alright," Mallett said.
In a submission to "Darcy, what's the deal?" Las Vegas resident Oscar Love wrote that he moved to Las Vegas from Seattle last January and noticed many more homeless people in the downtown area than he'd seen during previous regular visits.
Oscar, you're not wrong.
The annual Homeless Census — required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — will be taken Jan. 25.
Clark County still needs volunteers to help with the count. If you're interested in volunteering, click here for information and/or click here to select a preferred area.
The county says we won't have the results until August, but we can tell you what the last two years looked like.
2023's numbers were up 16% from the year before, with a sharp rise in those sleeping on streets, in cars or encampments.
Southern Nevada had 6,566 unhoused residents as of Jan. 25, 2023. That census found 16,251 would experience homelessness at some point during the year.
The population is comprised of single adults, families with children, unaccompanied youth, veterans, and the chronically homeless. The majority are male, white, and 35 to 64 years old.
In his submission to "Darcy, what's the deal?," Oscar wanted to know what sort of plan is in place to reduce those numbers.
The City of Las Vegas tells us it's not their practice to remove individuals from encampments. The city conducts outreach daily to connect those on the streets to services, but it's up to the individual to accept that help.
The city does work to clean areas to prevent trash, debris and waste from building up and becoming a health hazard. Before those cleanings occur, the MORE team contacts those in the area so they have time to move themselves and their belongings while the cleaning occurs.
The city works with the homeless to help them become healthy, housed and hired through the MORE teams — which tailor their outreach efforts to each person — and the city's Courtyard Homeless Resource Center.
The Courtyard is open as a safe place to all. Those seeking shelter can bring their possessions and pets. Courtyard clients have access to medical care, social services, shower and bathroom facilities, a computer lab and more.
They can also use the city's Arrow shuttle that makes trips to various agencies such as the DMV, Las Vegas Rescue Mission, Southern Nevada Health District, Salvation Army and the Social Security office, to name a few.
Click here for more information about Homeless Services within the City of Las Vegas.
We at Channel 13 have heard from many of you about this issue, so we also asked Clark County what it's doing about homelessness in areas like Sunset Park — which one viewer asked about in particular.
The county sent the following statement:
"We understand that homelessness is a complex issue and we strive to address it through a combination of enforcement, outreach, and support. Our Clark County Office of Public Safety (OPS) and Social Services teams work hand-in-hand to effectively work with our most vulnerable population with compassion and efficiency.
Our OPS teams frequently patrol Sunset Park to address homeless encampments. When we receive reports of homeless encampments at a park, our Office of Public Safety (OPS) takes the first step, and that is to make initial contact with those affected and offer them services through our CARE team or Help of Southern Nevada. We understand that many individuals experiencing homelessness may not be aware of the resources available to them, so our outreach efforts aim to connect them to the support they need.
Once initial contact has been made, OPS informs these individuals that their lodging is illegal and issues a 24-hour notice for them to move their belongings. Following this notice, arrangements are made to visit the encampment site a second time. Here, we ensure that individuals have vacated the encampment, and if they have not, they are advised that they have 15 minutes to move their belongings before our teams will conduct a clean-up.
We understand that homelessness remains an ongoing and complex issue that requires a comprehensive approach. Therefore, our County teams collaborate with other community partners and stakeholders to provide these individuals with the vital support they need to secure housing and other essential services.
We have a designated email address: CCPublicSafetyonpatrol@clarkcountynv.gov, for individuals who have questions or wish to report a homeless encampment.
We want to thank Oscar and others for reaching out about this issue.
We'll share the results of the 2024 Homeless Census when they come out later this year.