Clark County camping ban would point homeless people to services

Clark County on Tuesday introduced a draft of a proposed ordinance that would target homeless people who camp in public spaces.

“It is the obligation of the county to keep its public places, public rights-of-way, and other paths within the county clean and available for public use, and to protect the public health, safety, and access for all citizens,” according to the proposed ordinance.

The listed locations include trails, parks, underpasses, washes and tunnels — places the homeless population tends to congregate.

“I think we need it,” County Commission Chairman Tick Segerblom previously said about the proposal. “There are some people who honestly don’t want to seek services but are willing to comply with the law.”

If approved, the county will join local Southern Nevada jurisdictions that have similar laws in place: the cities of Las Vegas and Henderson.

The Clark County Commission set a public hearing to discuss the ordinance at its Nov. 5 meeting.

As early as Wednesday, Las Vegas could strengthen its ordinance, according to a City Council meeting agenda.

Las Vegas currently does not enforce its law if there is no public shelter space available.

The city’s proposal eliminates that provision, aligning it with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that declared camping bans constitutional.

Under the Las Vegas proposal, a person could be arrested with a mandatory minimum jail sentence of 10 days if they’re convicted of violating the ordinance — a misdemeanor offense — more than twice in a year.

Before a citation is issued, the person would first be warned that they’re violating the law and be directed to the Courtyard Homeless Resource Center for social services, according to the city.

Las Vegas has a jail alternative that could require offenders to enroll in rehabilitation and other social services programs.

Findings of a daylong census of homeless people conducted earlier this year in Southern Nevada showed a 20 percent year-over-year increase in the population of sheltered and unsheltered homeless people, the highest figure in a decade.

A total of 4,202 people were tallied in the streets, a 7 percent increase compared to the 2023 count, according to the Southern Nevada Homelessness Continuum of Care Census.

No shelter; no enforcement

Clark County authorities will inform people they’re in violation of the ban and direct them to resources unless “no shelter space or services are available,” according to the draft. “If an individual refuses to cease to engage in the prohibited conduct or refuses to go to an available shelter, a citation or an arrest may be made pursuant to this chapter.”

Opponents have argued that camping bans criminalize poverty.

“Local governments forcing police officers to enforce criminal laws against people simply because those people are poor — which is how local governments throughout Nevada’s ordinances actually read despite lip service to the contrary — is a disgrace,” wrote the state’s branch of the American Civil Liberties Union after the Supreme Court ruling.

Segerblom has said that the county has “very robust” housing-related services available to keep homeless persons away from the streets.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.