People in an Eastside neighborhood say abandoned buildings are havens for the homeless, who then come and, according to neighbors, commit various crimes in the neighborhood. So who is responsible for the problem?
Renee Smith-Robb said she and other people in her neighborhood are scared, even inside their own homes, because of the homeless population constantly in the area. She put in security devices all over her home, but wonders who is responsible for getting a more permanent solution.
"We have disbanded it a few times that I'm aware of myself," said Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick. "I've been out there on many occasions. Once a week I'm out there and I've talked to some of the homeless."
Kirkpatrick's district includes the problem area at Lake Mead and Hollywood. She said they have been working to clean up the area, including securing the vacant buildings around that intersection.
But the question remains - what about the homeless people police cannot arrest and the ones who don't want to be a part of county services or go to a shelter? How do they get rid of those? Kirkpatrick said there is a new initiative coming in next year.
"Its a case management program," she explained. "So many of them have mental illness, so we need to ensure that they can get the medications and they can get the proper follow ups."
As for the buildings, we spent several hours trying to dig up information. 13 Action News went on the County Assessors' website and discovered the property owner is listed as an LLC. A local law firm told us sometimes property owners put their buildings under an LLC to help limit their liability. We scoured the internet and directories to find a phone number associated with the companies, but didn't get anything. So it will likely fall on the county to clean this place up.
