Help for homeless expands
Thousands of Las Vegas Valley homeless will now have two major opportunities each year to get one-stop help in the form of housing referrals, free medical and dental checkups, legal assistance, job placement and other services.
Organizers of the large-scale annual Project Homeless Connect, held each fall at Cashman Center, have announced plans to add an identical second event, slated for April each year, beginning this year.
"We got such an amazing turnout (at the last event, held in November) that we talked to (service) providers and said, 'Can't we get together and do this at least twice a year?'" said Kim Amato, executive director of the Nevada Homeless Alliance, which sponsors the event.
Formerly called Stand Down for the Homeless, the event brings together dozens of city, county, social service, church and other agencies that help the homeless.
It was renamed last year to tie into the national Project Homeless Connect, a model program that has been adopted by cities across the United States.
November's local Project Homeless Connect drew nearly 2,700 people, organizers said. Shannon West, regional homeless services coordinator for the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition, said 250 people found housing as a result of the event.
An estimated 11,500 homeless people live in Clark County.
Those who attend the event also can get free food and clothing, haircuts, referrals for mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and other services.
Local judges are on site to hear misdemeanor cases and process warrants to help homeless people deal with any outstanding legal issues.
It costs about $50,000 to stage Project Homeless Connect, Amato said, and she is actively seeking sponsors to help fund the next one, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 10 at Cashman, near Las Vegas Boulevard and Washington Avenue. Another will be held there in October, she said.
Organizers need hundreds of volunteers to help set up, take down and work the event.
For more information or to volunteer, visit www.helphopehome.org or call 455-5832.
