A 120-bed homeless shelter for central valley breaks ground

By Jackie Valley

Friday, May 13, 2016 | 2 a.m.

The Shannon West Homeless Youth Center will double in capacity next year when a new, 120-bed facility opens in the central valley.

HELP of Southern Nevada officials and local dignitaries celebrated the launch of the building’s construction Thursday morning at the nonprofit group's Flamingo Road campus.

The same day, Clark County officials announced that the region's overall homeless population declined by more than 17 percent during the past year, according to initial findings from the 2016 Southern Nevada Homeless Census, which was conducted in January.

The existing Shannon West Homeless Youth Center, located near Owens Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard, contains 65 beds for homeless youth, ages 16 to 24. That facility will close when the new building off Maryland Parkway and Flamingo Road — more conveniently situated near the Las Vegas Strip and UNLV for employment and educational opportunities — opens in the first half of next year.

“No matter what their situation, they all deserve a place to lay their head at night,” said Rick McGough, chairman of the board for HELP.

The $10 million project is being funded by contributions from private donors, local governments and new tax credits, officials said.

When volunteers conducted this year's homeless census in January, they counted 6,208 homeless people, which is 1,301 fewer than counted in 2015, officials said. Of those, 3,731 people were living on the streets, and 2,477 people were living in shelters or temporary indoor locations.

"To see the numbers headed in the right direction is certainly good news for our community," Clark County Social Services Director Michael Pawlak said in a statement. "… By continuing to work with our many great partners in the community, we hope to get more people off the streets this year."

Information about homeless youths counted in this year's survey is not available yet, county officials said. The full 2016 Southern Nevada Homeless Census likely will be complete in a month.

Even so, Kelly Robson, chief social services officer for HELP, said youths have been the fastest-growing segment of Clark County’s homeless population, hence the need for a larger shelter. Teens and young adults wind up homeless for a variety of reasons, including disclosing their sexual identity to family members or escaping unhealthy atmospheres under their parents’ roofs, she said.

Homeless teens younger than 18 accounted for 20 percent of the region’s unsheltered homeless population, which totaled 3,916 people last year, according to the 2015 Southern Nevada Homeless Census. That represented a 9.6 percent increase compared with 2014.

The census defines “unsheltered” as anyone living in locations such as under bridges, in cars or inside abandoned buildings.

DelRio Perkins, 21, was one of those homeless youths earlier this year. Perkins moved here from Flint, Mich., in November but found himself sleeping in alleys when his planned living situation with a friend didn’t pan out. During a trip to a public library, Perkins discovered the Shannon West Homeless Youth Center could provide temporary shelter.

For the past two months, Perkins has called “Room 7” his home at the center, and since then, he has secured a job and has enrolled in cosmetology school.

“It’s not a handout,” he said. “It’s a hand up. As long as you put yourself into it, they will assist you in so many ways.”

Teens and young adults stay at the shelter for an average of nine months, Robson said. Eighty-five percent of residents exiting the shelter have secured housing elsewhere.

The Shannon West Homeless Youth Center provides a number of on-site services, such as substance abuse counseling, mental health referrals, educational assessments, vocational training and life-skills classes.