Homeless programs get $6.5 million grant

Programs for the homeless in Southern Nevada are getting a $6.5 million boost from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The new grant will fund eight local projects, including the creation of 70 new housing units; the continuation of 177 transitional housing beds for the chronically homeless and mentally ill; and the continuation of 236 permanent housing units for mentally ill individuals who were once homeless.

Clark County government officials see the grant as a huge step forward. The grant to combat chronic homelessness was 25 percent more than originally requested, an increase awarded because the federal government used a more current count of chronically homeless individuals in Clark County. The grant calculation also used updated rental rates for Clark County.

"We were helped this year by the first accurate count of our homeless population, which enables us to identify our needs and show the federal government where this money will have the largest impact," Clark County Manager Virginia Valentine said in the announcement of the grant.

About $3.5 million of the grant will go toward new project funding over the next five years, including the creation of new housing by Clark County Social Service. The remaining money will support programs now offered by agencies such as Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, the Salvation Army, and Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services.

About 11,500 homeless people live in the Las Vegas Valley, according to the last homeless census released by the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition's Committee on Homelessness.