Comments (20) | Add a comment
Homeless count expected to grow
-
Gary Thompson/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Ralph Rhodes, left, talks with Leland Sparks and Olwyn Pruitt, case managers for Straight from the Streets homeless outreach program, outside the Casual Labor Office near Washington Avenue and A Street. Rhodes, 53, who is homeless, says he has encountered a lot more newly homeless people lately. A large-scale count of Las Vegas Valley's homeless population is set for Thursday. » Buy this photo
Tools
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Jan. 25, 2011 | 8:25 a.m.
Once every two years, hundreds of volunteers fan out across the Las Vegas Valley in the pre-dawn hours.
They descend onto dark city streets, peeking behind strip malls and trash bins. They comb the banks of the washes, investigate empty lots and underpasses, counting the homeless.
It's a large-scale, point-in-time homeless census that -- together with numbers gathered during a separate count in rural Clark County and from shelters, hospitals and other sources -- gives social service providers a clear idea of how the local homeless population has changed. Homeless censuses are required every two years to apply for federal grant money to fight homelessness.
The previous census, in 2009, found 13,338 people were homeless in Clark County. Most of those who work with the homeless expect this year's count, scheduled for 1 to 6 a.m. Thursday, to reveal the homeless population has grown. The long-troubled economy, continued high unemployment and cuts to programs that help the poor are to blame, they said.
"Given the trends we're seeing, I would expect an increase," said Michele Fuller-Hallauer, a coordinator with the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition's Committee on Homelessness, which sponsors the biennial count.
The number of homeless families, especially, might rise, she said.
"Folks that were living doubled up, who could live on someone else's property, those families are being told, 'I'm sorry. You've got to go,' " she said. "There are a lot more of them hitting the streets than a year or two ago."
But it's notoriously difficult to accurately predict the count. Many people who were down-on-their-luck have decided to leave town in hopes of finding work in a stronger economy. That could result in lower numbers of homeless people. And predictions have proved wrong before.
Social service providers expected a large spike in the population during 2007's count because the general population had been growing and the pool of low-rent housing had shrunk. Instead, the count found 11,417 homeless people, down from 13,000 in 2005. Count organizers said new counting methods used in 2007 might have produced a more accurate count than in 2005.
In 2009, after outreach workers had spent several years focusing on getting "chronic" street people into homes, only a modest increase was expected. Instead, nearly 2,000 more people were homeless in 2009 than in 2007.
But the demographics had shifted: There were more homeless people living in shelters or other temporary housing than on the street. The number of "street homeless" decreased.
This year will be the fourth countywide effort to conduct a person-by-person count of the homeless.
Those who have first-hand experience say they do not need a count to tell them there are more homeless people now.
"With this economy, of course," said Ralph Rhodes, 53, a homeless man who spoke earlier this month to outreach workers outside the state's Casual Labor Office at the edge of downtown's homeless corridor .
"You see more people who aren't used to this lifestyle," he said. "It's a rough lifestyle."
Rhodes said he has been homeless off and on for a couple of years after health issues left him temporarily unable to work. Emergency shelters have become increasingly crowded, he said.
"I'm at a point I need help to get to the next level," he said. "This (expletive) ain't me."
People who have been struggling for the first time in their lives might have become homeless instead of seeking help, said Olwyn Pruitt, a case manager with Straight from the Streets homeless outreach program.
"People don't know there are services or how to find them because they've never had to ask before," she said. "Some are embarrassed to ask for help or afraid they're going to get scammed."
The count might reveal some good news for one demographic: homeless veterans.
Recent research shows fewer veterans are homeless, said Shalimar Cabrera, site director for U.S. Vets, a shelter for homeless veterans.
The Obama administration has dedicated more funding to combating homelessness among veterans, she said, leading to more programs both nationally and locally to help get them off the street.
News probably won't be so good for homeless youths, said Tim Mullin, executive director of Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth. The organization experienced a 60 percent increase in the number of youths visiting its drop-in center in 2010 over 2009, he said.
But part of the increase could be attributed to the organization's recent opening of a larger drop-in center and its hiring of a new outreach worker, he said.
Linda Lera-Randle El, director of Straight from the Streets, is particularly concerned about a potential spike in the number of mentally ill homeless people.
The mentally ill typically make up one of the largest groups of homeless people. Recent studies show Nevada has fewer public psychiatric beds per capita than nearly all other states. Nevada's spending on mental health agency services is among the lowest in the nation.
"The amount of mentally ill out there is staggering to me now," Lera-Randle El said. "It's terrible. We have no alternative for them."
Applied Survey Research, a California-based nonprofit social research firm that completed the 2007 and 2009 censuses, will compile the results and present a final report in April. The firm will conduct a phone survey to help determine the number of "hidden homeless" -- people "squatting" on private property or living with others because they can't afford their own residences.
This year's census will cost $86,000 and includes paying 300 formerly homeless people in need of work $10 an hour to help volunteers in the count, Fuller-Hallauer said.
Meanwhile, outreach workers will continue their efforts to get more homeless people into housing.
Straight from the Streets has accepted Rhodes into its case management program, Lera-Randle El said, and an apartment will be ready for him to move into on Wednesday.
"He'll have some adjusting to do, and he'll get a lot of monitoring," she said. "It's a difficult adjustment to go from the street or shelter to your own place."
Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.
Comments
Terms & Conditions
The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The Review-Journal does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please use the Report Abuse button.
Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 24 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
It's always: We have so many homeless to count. Define homeless? Where are these people from? So funny how there are so many homeless in Las Vegas,Los Angeles,San Francisco and New Orleans. Do-gooder groups should not be "counting" homeless and lining up for "grants" or federal funds or whatever.
There should either be official 'homeless" agencies or not.
And they should have legal authorization to commit the mentally ill,house the addicted and alcoholic and throw to the wolves the riff raff!
Like most LV Doctors whose resumé proudly startes that they are career army (i.e. educated, housed, insured for free)now their offices and living quarters are littered with "No Obama Healtcare" posters. They lack emotional as well as other intelligence for not giving back to those in need.
Other example is political wannabees who are the children of recent immigrants. They don't want any more immigrants.
Some doctors give teir services at low cost (dentists, LV neurosurgeons, LV pediatricians) and some overcharge cashpayers (Lab. corp., desert prenatal and other ob/gyns. and hospitals, of course.
Socialism in America is a tiny struggling baby....let's abort it.....
There's a heavier set middle aged 'Homeless Vet' at the corner of Ft Apache at Tropicana. He's been there for over a year and I see liberal bleeding heart people of all sorts give him mucho dinero. I did see him three other times elsewhere though- Once in the across-the-street Chevron gambling his 'earnings'. Once at the adjacent to where he stands Starbucks drinking down his fu-fu latte. Venti, of course and talking on his iphone before resuming his big bucks position on the Ft Apache. Last week I saw him drinking a bagged 40 as he got in his or his wife's nice later model car parked by the 99 cent store as I was leaving with my hard earned purchases. Even with all that, I say good for him as all you lefties enable him to live his tax free status all the time. Trust me, there will be many like him on the next survey.
To: Frank Peltesen,
Frank, there are ONLY two countries on this earth that are even close to the definition of what you sir, incorrectly state as socialism. Those countries are The Soviet Union and China. They actually started as Socialistict Countries and later fell in Totalitarianism. Sir, with all due respect. Your definition is wrong and therefore your arguement is wrong. Now sir, if you were speaking metaphorically, that is a different story. Read and ye shall find out. Don't believe what you hear from Beck and Limbaugh and talk radio. All of your answers are at the Library. And, sir you have a nice day. Oh, my Major was Sociology. Oh and Socialism is a theory.
@ Jack.Webb ___ So you believe China’s exports that continue to be poison to our children and adults, force their factory workers into gated very small dorms, basically caged. __ Horrible environmental and unsafe conditions for workers and the great damage to the environment, air, ground water etc. __ You don’t believe ending the outsourcing of jobs would be beneficial to our growing unemployed, also create a huge tax base and purchasing power is a good idea, really. __ Lets not forget the huge amount of wealth that goes overseas instead of staying here because of outsourcing industry, so I’m guessing economics is not your forte either. __ Or is world humanitarian and environmental issues your forte. __ Liberals are such hypocrites and either complete liars or in pure delusion.
"Mad American wrote on January 25, 2011 08:44 AM: You bet the homeless rate will continue to increase as long as we have the Imposter-in-Chief that we do. A real leader would impose substantial tariffs on imports so the U.S. businesses that left to do business overseas would return."
Graduate of the Glenn Beck School of Economics.
@ Anya ____ I agree we continue to absorb the huge costs from illegal aliens and as Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich pointed out the anchor babies alone cost LA $600 million and costs for illegal immigration in 2010 for California was $1.6 billion. ___Yet States still cater to criminals and their offspring rather than help our countrymen. __We also would be better financially able to help our mentally ill if we stop this absurd taxpayer money going to criminals, illegal aliens. __ Government feels more comfortable stealing from taxpayers enabling other criminals, the illegal aliens to steal from us easier. __ It’s unbelievable the cost and corruption forcing many of our people into homelessness. __ It would be great if Nevada would be as forthcoming concerning costs caused by the criminals.
Check the definition of homeless. I have a feeling it will quite wide and skew the numbers.
We need to help homeless AMERICANS. STOP SPENDING MONEY ON ILLEGALS and spend it on AMERICANS. Deport anchor babies and don't issue birth certificates until both parents prove they are AMERICANS. INVESTIGATE, ARREST AND DEPORT ADULTS stealing emergency medical services such as dialysis--on a recurring basis. Arrest and deport illegals using identity theft to steal social services such as TANF, FOOD STAMPS, UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION.