‘Water is life or death’ for Las Vegas homeless population in summer heat

As temperatures hovered in the upper 90s Wednesday afternoon, people along a central Las Vegas corridor and services hub for locals experiencing homelessness found ways to cool down.

Some outside Las Vegas’ open-air, air-conditioned Courtyard Homeless Resource Center took haven under limited sources of shade. A woman soaked her arms and legs with a spray bottle. A motorist pulled over to distribute water bottles from the trunk of her car.

Meanwhile, Byron Johnson splashed his clothes and head with water from a public water fountain outside the CARE Complex nonprofit adjacent to the city’s facility.

Johnson said he has been homeless for about two decades and uses the city’s shelter to get “cool air, have some water, stay clean and get some clean clothes.”

He added: “There’s plenty of water here.”

Adequate water consumption is crucial to avert serious illnesses associated with dangerous temperatures. Clark County reported 527 heat-related deaths in 2024, and said last week that the heat had contributed to 29 fatalities so far this year.

Municipalities and nonprofits work through the summer months to prevent similar tragedies.

‘Water is life or death’

On any given day, HELP of Southern Nevada street teams roam homeless encampments to assess prospective clients for possible services while offering a plethora of water, along with survival kits.

“Water is life or death for our clients,” said Abby Quinn, the nonprofit’s chief community relations officer. “Housing right now is not the easiest service to get people.”

She added: “And so when we’re trying to case manage them from the streets during this extreme heat — when it’s 110 — water is going to keep them alive until the next day.”

On Tuesday, a forklift operator maneuvered pallets of water cases at HELP’s warehouse. The nonprofit is in the midst of an annual drive that allows locals to donate bottles of water through Labor Day. The nonprofit had secured 58,000 bottles since Memorial Day, Quinn said.

“We definitely need our community,” she said. “It’s one case of water: It’s probably one of the easiest ways to assist.”

Those who can’t deliver water to the nonprofit at 1640 E. Flamingo Road, can donate for HELP to buy it at discounted rates, she said.

“During the summer, we’ll leave a case of water, as opposed to a couple of bottles of water,” she said. “We don’t know when we’ll be back, but we also know that they’re going to need more than just two bottles of water to stay hydrated.”

HELP prefers that its clients seek shelter and sign up for housing opportunities, Quinn said. The latter is compounded by a critical shortage of affordable housing throughout Southern Nevada.

As it stands, there are already thousands of HELP clients in a queue for housing programs, according to the nonprofit.

Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, which operates a shelter and a dining hall, said staffers pass out water to people waiting in line, which has misters and fans.

Water bottles and electrolyte packets are available to clients any time they are in the shelter or in need of hydration,” the nonprofit said. “For the other services we try to make bottled water available for clients on campus.”

Catholic Charities said it also provides clients clothing appropriate for summer conditions, in addition to sunscreen and hats.

Homelessness rate ticking up

A point-in-time homelessness census conducted in January 2024 tallied 7,906 sheltered and unsheltered homeless people in Southern Nevada. That was a 20 percent overall increase over 2023 and the highest number reported in a decade.

And while the valley’s population has increased, the rate of homelessness has ticked up since 2020, according to the Southern Nevada Continuum of Care, which conducts the count.

The 4,200 counted in the streets in 2024 represented a 7 percent year-over-year increase. There was no census this year and the continuum instead scheduled the next one for 2026.

“We definitely have seen an increase, and I think that we’ll continue to see that those numbers go up,” Quinn said about the current state of homelessness. She said providers are concerned that cuts to federal funding can worsen conditions for the homeless population.

HELP staffers post signage when heat waves or flash flooding is forecast, Quinn said. Clients are able to visit the nonprofit’s campus once a week to pick up clean clothes and other materials.

During the hotter days of summer, Clark County activates cooling stations to keep homeless people away from extreme heat.

“The vast majority of the locations are always open to the public no matter the temperature, such as libraries, community centers,” according to the city of Las Vegas. “All the jurisdictions work to get the word out about extreme temperatures and safety.”

The city said multi-agency outreach street teams that daily offer services distribute water during the hot months.

In a longer-term plan, the city said it has started planting some of the 60,000 new trees it wants to by 2050.

The city said it operates two nurseries “that we use for parks, medians, and other areas in need of tree coverage.”

“This initiative will help to lower temperatures in the city and help relieve the impact of urban heat islands,” the city said.

CARE Complex’s CEO Latoya Johnson said people use the nonprofit’s water faucet to drink water but also to keep cool and clean.

“When you’re out there with no shade, it’s worse,” she said about summer days.

‘Keep my head cool’

Kenneth Palmer moved to Las Vegas from a much cooler Toledo, Ohio, a few days ago. He said his plans were quickly derailed when a semi-truck slammed into his vehicle during his road trip, totaling it.

Palmer said he lost his ID card on a bus ride here and he’s sought shelter at the Courtyard until he returns home later this week to regroup. He said he’s tried to cool down at area stores but said he’s quickly been shooed away.

“They treat people like they’re all homeless,” Palmer said.

Richard Gladstone said he has been homeless for two years after a property management company doubled his rent.

As a longtime Las Vegas resident, he said he has experienced extreme heat.

“If it gets hot, I might ride a bus,” Gladstone said. “I keep a rag. I keep it wet; keep my head cool.”

He said that he’s recently secured housing.

I’ll have my own home any day now,” Gladstone said.

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