LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Las Vegas Rescue Mission is looking to expand its campus and services for those experiencing homelessness and other crises.
On Wednesday, Oct. 18, the Las Vegas City Council gave the green light for the rescue mission to move forward with plans for a three-story, nearly 50-thousand-square-foot expansion of its campus at Bonanza Rd. and D St. in the Historic Westside.
The expansion will include constructing five new buildings to provide safer, more accessible spaces and beds for men, women, and children in need.
"What this is going to do is give us breathing room and allow us never to have to say 'no.' We only have 24 beds for women's recovery and 98 for men. So we have to turn women that are looking for treatment services away and put them on a waiting list, and I'm going to tell you, it's a very unpleasant thing to do," said Heather Engel, the CEO of the Las Vegas Rescue Mission.
Engel shared her personal story of recovery before the city council as she made her case for the expansion. She said the project will also provide more space for her employees.
"My staff also deserves a little bit better of an environment to do their jobs. We literally don't have enough space for them," Engel said.
The expansion will be done in phases, starting with a new "shelter of hope" for women and children. Engel said the phases will be completed as funding becomes available through a capital funding campaign the rescue mission has embarked on. Engel said the estimated total price tag is between $30 million to $40 million dollars.
"The people that we serve, whether they're in our alcohol or drug treatment program, whether they're intact families or extended stay, they're leaving with a toolbox on how to navigate life from that point. We will always be there to backstop them in case something goes wrong. We want to be able to do that in a more expansive way," Engel said.
