Homeless family finds hope
July 18, 2011 - 2:15 pm

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Alavatualua Talalasi, his fiance Chantell Everett and their six-month-old baby, Alema, say hello to homeless friend John Trea, right, and an unidentified friend, after visiting their former home in a tunnel wash under Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. With aid from HELP of Southern Nevada and Straight from the Streets, the family now lives in an apartment just a block away on Swenson Street.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Alavatualua Talalasi, his fiance Chantell Everett and their six-month-old baby, Alema, say hello to homeless friend John Trea, right, and an unidentified friend, after visiting their former home in a tunnel wash under Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. With aid from HELP of Southern Nevada and Straight from the Streets, the family now lives in an apartment just a block away on Swenson Street.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Alavatualua Talalasi, his fiance Chantell Everett and their six-month-old baby Alema relax outside their apartment on Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. Before moving in their apartment, Talalasi and Everett lived a just a block away in the wash tunnel under Swenson Street.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Chantell Everett and her six-month-old baby, Alema, check out her former home in a tunnel wash under Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. With aid from HELP of Southern Nevada and Straight from the Streets, Everett, her fiance Alavatualua Talalasi, and their baby now live in an apartment just a block away.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Chantell Everett holds her six-month-old baby Alema in their apartment on Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. Before moving in their apartment, Everett and her fiance Alavatualua Talalasi (not shown) lived a just a block away in the wash tunnel under Swenson Street.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Chantell Everett checks the mail at her apartment where she lives with her fiance Alavatualua Talalasi and their six-month-old baby Alema (not shown) on Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. Before moving in their apartment, Everett and her fiance Alavatualua Talalasi (not shown) lived a just a block away in the wash tunnel under Swenson Street.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Chantell Everett watches her six-month-old baby Alema in their apartment on Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. Before moving in their apartment, Everett and her fiance Alavatualua Talalasi (not shown) lived a just a block away in the wash tunnel under Swenson Street.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Alavatualua Talalasi and his fiance Chantell Everett walk Saturday, July 9, 2011, with their six-month-old baby Alema from their apartment on Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road to wash tunnel under Swenson Street where they used to live. The family walks to the wash every day to check on friends still living there.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Alavatualua Talalasi and his fiance Chantell Everett sit with their six-month-old baby Alema in their apartment on Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. Before moving in their apartment, Talalasi and Everett lived a just a block away in the wash tunnel under Swenson Street.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Alavatualua Talalasi reads the newspaper in his apartment he shares with his fiance Chantell Everett and their six-month-old baby Alema on Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. Before moving in their apartment, Talalasi and his fiance lived a just a block away in the wash tunnel under Swenson Street.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Alavatualua Talalasi holds his six-month-old baby Alema outside their apartment on Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. Before moving in their apartment, Talalasi and his fiance Chantell Everett lived a just a block away in the wash tunnel under Swenson Street.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Alavatualua Talalasi, his fiance Chantell Everett, and their six-month-old baby Alema go into their apartment on Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. Before moving in their apartment, Talalasi and Everett lived a just a block away in the wash tunnel under Swenson Street.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Alavatualua Talalasi and his fiance Chantell Everett look out the window of their apartment where they live with their with their six-month-old baby, Alema, on Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. Before moving in their apartment, Talalasi and Everett lived a just a block away in the wash tunnel under Swenson Street.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Alavatualua Talalasi, his fiance Chantell Everett and their six-month-old baby, Alema, say hello to homeless friend John Trea, right, and an unidentified friend, after visiting their former home in a tunnel wash under Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. With aid from HELP of Southern Nevada and Straight from the Streets, the family now lives in an apartment just a block away on Swenson Street.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Alavatualua Talalasi and his fiance Chantell Everett cook in their apartment where they live with their sit with their six-month-old baby, Alema, (not shown) on Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. Before moving in their apartment, Talalasi and Everett lived a just a block away in the wash tunnel under Swenson Street.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Alavatualua Talalasi holds his six-month-old baby Alema in their apartment on Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. Before moving in their apartment, Talalasi and his fiance Chantell Everett lived a just a block away in the wash tunnel under Swenson Street.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Alavatualua Talalasi, left, and his fiance Chantell Everett, second from right, (in pink shirt) and their six-month-old baby, Alema, check out their former home in a tunnel wash under Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. With aid from HELP of Southern Nevada and Straight from the Streets, the family now lives in an apartment just a block away on Swenson Street. (The man on the right is a friend of theirs who still lives in the wash, but declined to give his name. The other man is an unidentified passer-by.)

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Alavatualua Talalasi, his fiance Chantell Everett, and their six-month-old baby, Alema, pose for a photograph at their former home in a tunnel wash under Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. With aid from HELP of Southern Nevada and Straight from the Streets, the family now lives in an apartment just a block away on Swenson Street.

K.M. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Alavatualua Talalasi, his fiance Chantell Everett and their six-month-old baby, Alema, check out their former home in a tunnel wash under Swenson Street near East Flamingo Road Saturday, July 9, 2011. With aid from HELP of Southern Nevada and Straight from the Streets, the family now lives in an apartment just a block away on Swenson Street.

copyright_2011_RJ
A former homeless family now lives in an apartment just a block from where they lived in a storm tunnel. They still visit their former home in the Flamingo Wash daily to check on their friends who still live there.