It takes a single trip through the frayed sections of the inner city to see that Southern Nevada has its share of social ills.

Homelessness, poverty and street-corner mental illness are abundant here. The Las Vegas Valley has boomed economically with thousands of newcomers arriving each month and hundreds of new jobs created each year, but the community's net of social services has remained fragile and, it's pretty evident, inadequate.

Truth is, it's held together by a trickle of public funding and the tireless efforts of a small group of dedicated social workers, government employees, volunteers and religious missionaries who instead of journeying to some distant Third World backwater have focused on the plight of the downtrodden and deeply troubled right here in our community. They represent the Best of Las Vegas®, in my opinion.

The city of Las Vegas has sometimes been criticized for its hard-line stand on homeless issues, but with few dollars available it takes an especially dedicated official to get things done. That official is Neighborhood Services Director Sharon Segerblom and her small staff. Segerblom is one part taskmaster, one part social worker and helps keep the city focused on an extremely complex issue.

At the state, Jonna Triggs is the director of Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services. She enjoys a growing reputation as an innovative thinker whose grant-writing ability is helping bring funding to the street-level treatment of the poverty-plagued mentally ill.

At the Metropolitan Police Department, Lt. Eric Fricker is another unsung hero of the down and out. Fricker shatters the notion that cops are good for only breaking up squatters' camps and harassing the homeless. His sensitivity and dedication have helped change the way the entire department addresses the issue.

And where would the needy be without the dedication of Frank Ricco of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, and homeless services coordinator Duane Sonnenberg of The Salvation Army? In a world where so many talk about problems and so few roll up their sleeves and get to work, these two men deserve not only our thanks, but our support.

One of the most active and dedicated volunteers on the street in recent years is the community's very own "Elusive Butterfly," Linda Lera-Randle El. Stroll downtown on almost any morning near Las Vegas Boulevard North and Foremaster Lane and you'll spot her. She'll be the woman with the trunk of her personal car wide open, digging amid a pile of supplies for everything from socks and blankets in February to life-saving water in July.

It seems that Linda is always there with food and a smile. Frankly, I envy her energy. She also sends a daily e-mail, "Straight from the Streets," from Elusivebtrfli@aol.com.

Get up early enough and you'll sometimes spot former Nevada Gov. Mike O'Callaghan handing out coffee and doughnuts in the predawn hours side by side with other dedicated members of the Catholic Church and Franciscan Center. Through the years, O'Callaghan, a columnist at the Las Vegas Sun and the publisher of several weekly newspapers, has split his time among the local street community, democracy building in Central America and work in Israel. He gave plenty to Nevada as governor, and he hasn't stopped giving to the community.

On the subject of the Franciscans, this past year marked a dark spot on the American political scene when Franciscan Friar Louis Vitale, formerly of St. James Catholic Church on H Street, was jailed for six months for trespassing on a federal military reservation. Father Louie, as he is known, served his time, ministered to inmates while at the Nellis Prison Camp, and emerged from custody in fighting trim. Now in his 70s, he still spends some of his time in Southern Nevada and is a mentor to the local brothers at the Franciscan Center.

Although all deserve our thanks and support, Franciscan Friar David Buer stands out for his assertive devotion to the growing problem of homelessness in Southern Nevada. Never one to take no for an answer, he balances a schedule that includes working with the homeless, alcoholic and mentally ill with lobbying the city for a foothold and funding in the downtown corridor. Here is a man who commonly sleeps on the street with the people he has devoted his life to helping.

There are many others, to be sure. They don't all get along, but each holds an important place in the fragile network that attempts to do so much with so little. They are the best Las Vegas has to offer.