Homeless population in Southern Nevada increases

By Michael Scott Davidson Las Vegas Review-Journal

7 years ago

A homeless encampment along A Street during the Southern Nevada Homeless Census in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

A homeless person sleeps along A Street during the Southern Nevada Homeless Census in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Giovanni Lomagno, outreach coordinator at U.S. Vets, center right, helps prepare before the start of the Southern Nevada Homeless Census at Catholic Charities in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Volunteers and Las Vegas police search for homeless people along Main Street during the Southern Nevada Homeless Census in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Volunteers search for homeless people near an underpass along Washington Avenue during the Southern Nevada Homeless Census in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Volunteers talk with a homeless man near Washington Avenue during the Southern Nevada Homeless Census in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Volunteers and Las Vegas police search for homeless people along Bonanza Road during the Southern Nevada Homeless Census in downtown Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Volunteers search for homeless people along A Street during the Southern Nevada Homeless Census in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Volunteers search for homeless people along Las Vegas Boulevard during the Southern Nevada Homeless Census in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Volunteers search for homeless people along Main Street during the Southern Nevada Homeless Census in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Volunteers and Las Vegas police search for homeless people along A Street during the Southern Nevada Homeless Census in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Volunteers prepare before the start of the Southern Nevada Homeless Census at Catholic Charities in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Kathi Thomas-Gibson speaks before the start of the Southern Nevada Homeless Census at Catholic Charities in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Volunteers and Las Vegas police search for homeless people around an underpass along Owens Avenue during the Southern Nevada Homeless Census in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Phillip Hollon, director of social services for The Salvation Army, talks before the start of the Southern Nevada Homeless Census at Catholic Charities in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

The Southern Nevada homeless population increased slightly over the last year, but the number remains lower than the high of recent years.

The Southern Nevada Homeless Census in January counted 6,490 people living on the streets and in shelters throughout the region. Results of the count were released Thursday.

That’s 280 more homeless than were recorded in last year’s count, but still an improvement over 2014 and 2015, when close to 7,500 homeless people were counted each year

“Even though the census shows a slight increase compared with last year, it is good to see that we continue to have fewer homeless people here than we did just a few years ago,” Clark County Social Service Director Michael Pawlak said in a statement. “But there is still a lot of work to do. Through our regional efforts and strong collaboration with our partners in the community, we will continue to work to prevent some people from becoming homeless and get more individuals off of our streets and into assistance programs.”

The county is required to complete the annual Southern Nevada Homeless Census, which is part of a national tally, to receive federal grants for homeless programs. More than 200 volunteers helped county and city social workers conduct the census.

Contact Michael Scott Davidson at sdavidson@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861. Follow @davidsonlvrj on Twitter.