LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada announced the development of a second building near its headquarters and the expansion of services Thursday.
Officials said the new building, Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada Advocacy & Justice Complex, will be located at 801 E. Charleston Boulevard. Currently sitting at the location is a vacant former U.S. bank, but officials say because of its age and lack of meeting ADA requirements, it will be replaced with a new structure.
Officials said the new building will have three levels, totaling 40,000 square feet, and a dedicated parking garage. It's expected to be complete in 2025, costing about $30 million.
According to a media release, two-thirds of the funds were raised. Officials say it will be the first statewide service campus "where any Nevadan who has experienced devastating trauma of violent crime can find justice and begin to heal."
“We are excited for this growth opportunity to both expand legal aid to the most vulnerable in our community as well as to create a resource and referral center for survivors of violent crime,” said Barbara Buckley, Esq., executive director of Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada. “Whether it’s providing support to survivors of violent crimes, providing advocacy to victims of domestic violence, helping abused or neglected children navigate through the foster care system, or offering a helping hand, the new Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada Advocacy & Justice Complex will allow us to move into the future, providing help and hope to those in need.”
The non-profit organization aims to ensure equal access to justice through free legal advice and representation for those who cannot afford to hire an attorney.
Officials said the growth is necessary, "over the past ten years, the number of clients Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada serves has nearly quadrupled."
The center provides many services, including the Family Justice Project, Guardianship Advocacy Project, Children's Attorneys Project and the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center, now Resiliency & Justice Center, serving survivors of the 1 October shooting.
Channel 13 anchor Abel Garcia talked with Mynda Smith. She lost her sister in the October 1 tragedy and says the organization provided a shining light during a very dark time.
"Everyday is hard, everyday there is something that reminds of the hell we went through, everyday reminds me of the loss that we have of her," Smith told Garcia. "My parents have struggled losing their daughter, I have struggled losing my sister but we are trying to move forward together."
Helping families with the grieving process is one of the goals for the Legal Aid Center of Nevada.
"Without justice, crime echoes through generations, we want to construct a beacon of hope to provide that justice," Barbara Buckley, executive director of Legal Aid of Southern Nevada, told us.
The nonprofit says it's expanding its services to all survivors of violent crime.
"In addition to the new Complex, the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center, born from the 1 October shooting on October 1, 2017, will expand its services to all survivors of violent crime. In the hours and days following the shooting on October 1, 2017, Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada worked closely with Clark County, local police, courts, social services organizations, schools, nonprofits, and medical and mental health facilities to provide services to those directly and indirectly affected by that event," the nonprofit said. "Since then, the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center has continued to provide aid to those individuals by offering free legal advice; assisting survivors in accessing the Victims of Crime Compensation program; assisting with mental health navigation; and cutting through court and government bureaucracy."
