Homeless population up 20% in Las Vegas Valley

Volunteers conducting a point-in-time census of the homeless population in Southern Nevada earlier this year reported a 20 percent increase compared with 2023, according to figures released this week.

The 7,906 sheltered and unsheltered people counted in the day-long census on Jan. 25 was the highest since 2014, when the total was 9,417.

The Southern Nevada Homelessness Continuum of Care census documented 4,202 people living on the streets, a 7 percent increase from the 3,912 locals counted the previous year.

On a positive note, Clark County officials noted that an “expansion of shelter access” led to an increase of people benefiting from those services.

That number of people counted this year in that population was 3,704 compared with the 2,654 local sheltered people counted in 2023, according to a Clark County news release.

“This year’s Point-in-Time count shows that our efforts to expand shelter options are having a tangible impact,” Deputy County Manager Abigail Frierson said in a news release. “While the number of individuals living unsheltered remains high and we continue to work to secure permanent, stable housing, it is encouraging to see that we are steadily moving residents off the streets and into safer environments.”

Clark County touted its initiatives to combat homelessness.

They include its “rapid rehousing” strategy, a partnership with community organizations that offers services through 40 programs.

The county said it has spent $23 million to build six “non-congregate shelters.”

“These facilities provide short-term temporary housing to support family preservation and assist single-member households with accessing and transitioning to long-term housing, providing stability to those who are or at-risk of experiencing continued homelessness,” the release said.

The “Navigation Center,” a motel converted into a temporary housing complex, shelters adults without children, and offers social services in-house.

“This is not mere housing — this model is based on individualized case management intended to address the root causes of homelessness,” the county news release said.

Clark County has approved more than $170 million since 2022 to build or rehabilitate 3,704 affordable housing units for low-income families and seniors.

The yearly count is conducted to guide local social services agencies on what needs they will address, but it’s also mandated for federal aid.

The county said it changed its counting methodology this year to account for its shelter expansion. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recommended 2021 to be viewed as a “stand-alone data set” due to a change of methodology that year related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com Follow on X @rickytwrites.