Las Vegas Valley shelter plans rebound from devastating water leak

Despite the fact that the shelter is still reeling from a water leak in December, The Shade Tree has not had to turn any victims of domestic violence away.

“We’re always open. We’ve never closed. We are just adjusting,” CEO Linda Perez said.

Perez teared up while discussing the damage to the center — and resilience of the staff — on Tuesday morning. The series of leaks resulted in an almost complete failure of the 25-year-old main shelter building’s plumbing infrastructure.

The North Las Vegas shelter has been open since 1989 and serves as a 24-hour emergency shelter and resource center for people escaping domestic violence, human trafficking and homelessness. On Tuesday, Perez announced a new campaign to raise $5 million in the next year in order to fully reopen the campus.

By the end of the renovations, the shelter will have 256 usable beds, which is over 100 beds more than its current count of 150 beds. Those beds will also have increased privacy inside cubicles, as opposed to the current, open-concept style.

“Nobody wants to end up in a shelter, but if they are, we want to make it as comfortable and as healing as possible for them,” Perez said.

A key component of The Shade Tree is that it’s more than just an emergency shelter.

On average, research shows that many victims return to their abuser seven to 10 times. The programming is 90 days and 120 days for human trafficking victims.

“We’re not here only for emergencies,” said Karyn Steenkamp, chairwoman of The Shade Tree board of trustees. “We are here to give women back their dignity, to give them self-reliance.”

The center’s resources include a medical clinic and children’s activity center.

It also partners with the Las Vegas Urban League, which helps find and subsidize child care.

Perez said that a big part of promoting the stability, dignity and self reliance of the clients is providing a dignified living experience.

“That’s what we are working toward with this campaign: restoring the stability and dignity of this very building and the surrounding campus,” Perez said.

Despite Metropolitan Police Department numbers showing a decline in police reports of domestic violence, The Shade Tree has seen an increase, Perez said.

She added that the center was also seeing more people get injured in any given incident.

Fifty-three clients were in the shelter on Tuesday, and Perez said the center sees 1,000 to 1,500 people a year.

“Maybe we’re not the fanciest shelter,” Perez said. “But we do great work here at The Shade Tree.”

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social.