Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

From hot meals to housing, annual event connects thousands of Las Vegas’ homeless to necessities

Imagine you’re homeless, suggests Angela Marshall, and you need more than just food and clothing. You need a haircut, some help finding work and cheap housing and maybe a routine check-up too.

In many cities, including Los Angeles, where Marshall lived destitute on the streets for 22 years, you’re out of luck.

Charities and outreach in most cities often focus solely on giving the homeless the essentials: some food and some clean clothes. But that’s not enough, Marshall said.

“That’s just a hot meal. That’s not addressing the underlying problem,” Marshall said. “When you are lost and alone, you need to know there is a better way.”

Which is why she found herself sitting at a booth in Cashman Center on Wednesday next to her husband, Rand, a reverend.

During the week, the Marshalls operate Second Chance Ministries out of their apartment at Gramercy Park on Tropicana Avenue. But today is the 24th annual Project Homeless Connect, a gargantuan outreach effort aimed at addressing the needs of the homeless and poor in Las Vegas.

Countless homeless and at-risk people wander to and from her booth, taking a Bible and sometimes stopping to pray.

Organized by the Nevada Homeless Alliance in conjunction with the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition, the daylong event put thousands of people in touch with vital resources aimed to lift them out of poverty. The expansive center was converted into a conference-like space organized by service, where people could wander from booth to booth to get what they need.

Homeless veterans could speak with representatives from Veterans Affairs to obtain benefits they didn’t know they were entitled to. Out-of-work dropouts could find out how to finally get their GED. Those with a chronic health problems could seek medical attention.

And, yes, they could get a hot meal, a change of clothes, a haircut courtesy of Supercuts and even a massage.

The point is to treat the disadvantaged like they’re no different from any other member of society. Instead of being “homeless” or “poor,” everyone is a “client.”

The event on Wednesday pulled in around 2,900 clients, according to a Clark County spokesman. Last year a little over 3,000 showed up. The record is nearly 4,000, set a couple of years ago.

Around 300 volunteers helped out during the day, buoyed by the 130 agencies and organizations that offered their services free of charge.

Stacey Sutton-Pollard, executive director of the NHA, said the event was only intended for homeless until a few years ago, when it was opened up to include the poor and at-risk.

“We realized that there are so many people in our community that are struggling,” she said. “They’re here and able to make meaningful connections with services they need.”

The valley currently has more than 14,000 homeless men, women and children, according to the United Way of Southern Nevada.

Though it may not seem like it, Marshall said she’s lucky. She made it off the streets alive, fighting a cocaine addiction and mental health issues along the way. She married, began studying the Bible and became an evangelist. Many others are not as fortunate, which is why she thinks things like Project Homeless Connect are so important.

“This is something that is so unique,” Marshall said. “It brings so many different services together under one roof. This should be held up as an example.

“It’s a place where you can take a deep breath and think about what you need,” she said.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy