A potential resident, center, is dropped off by LVMPD Homeless Outreach Officer Dwayne Henderson, left, at the Navigation Center Friday, Aug. 4, 2023.
Friday, Aug. 4, 2023 | 5:10 p.m.
As the Las Vegas Valley was battered with rain and some streets were filled with water earlier this week, Leonard Martinez had no idea where to go.
The 61-year-old has been homeless since 1989, traveling state to state looking for work until settling here in 2009.
Martinez, who experiences panic attacks, was hesitant to leave the new spot he found close to a wash near Hualapai Way and Flamingo Road.
But the spot he would flee to became “a river full of water,” and the man didn’t sleep for two days for fear of what could happen to him – many homeless have died from flooding in the washes.
Only a few days later, Martinez has been able to leave some of those worries behind thanks to Clark County’s newest Navigation Center.
The center is a former Motel 6 that was transformed by the county to temporarily house homeless couples or individuals. It consists of 35 rooms, each with two small beds, an air conditioning unit, bathroom with shower and racks to hold clothing.
“This is a blessing for me,” Martinez said. “I’ve had a wonderful experience … (the staff) have been wonderful … it’s better than the Cosmopolitan.”
The center has the capacity to hold 70 people — 20 of whom have already moved in, officials said. The county leases the property to an independent company, WellCare Health, which takes care of staffing and management.
Much like dorm rooms, residents live two to a room and are matched by case management teams who assess residents for things like substance abuse disorders when they arrive at the center.
There’s also a donation room with shelves of clothing, shoes and other items that residents can pick from as well as six laundry machines to help with cleaning. Two other trailers containing desks for the case managers sit in the parking lot.
Unlike large resource centers with “less permanence,” the Navigation Center “creates a sense of home” for residents and allows them to stay for longer periods of time as the staff tries to help them find more permanent housing, Clark County Manager Kevin Schiller said.
The county uses Medicaid reimbursement funds to cover most of the cost, Schiller said. He emphasized that it saves “hundreds of thousands of dollars” by directing people to more permanent housing solutions, keeping them out of repeated jail or hospital stays.
Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom said they’re looking to place more of these sites around the county. This is the fifth of its kind.
“It seems like a win-win. We have these vacant buildings, which are not good for anybody,” Segerblom said. “We have lots of motels in Las Vegas and this is a great way to take people off the streets and give them shelter, a shower, a bed while we assess their needs and figure out where to go next.”
When Martinez arrived hours after the monsoon, he assessed to be matched with a roommate. He was also able to get a full meal, take a shower, pick out a new outfit and sleep on a bed.
It was the first time Martinez showered or slept on a bed in almost two years, he said.
Now, Martinez gets three meals a day and spends his time chatting with his roommate or staring out the window of his room.
He’ll also in the coming weeks get to see a doctor for the first time in 34 years.
While living on the streets, Martinez said he regularly dealt with people cursing him out, telling him to “shut up” and threatening his life.
It’s been a nice change of pace for him to eat “excellent” food and not hear threats of violence, he added.
“I see people smiling, I mean, not trying to kill me,” Martinez said. “It’s wonderful. It’s like, thank you. This is a blessing for me.”
As of last winter, Southern Nevada has around 5,645 people living on the streets, according to the 2022 Point-in-Time Count from Help Hope Home.
Martinez said he doesn’t know what the future holds, but he prays that a farm in Michigan – a dream of his – is included.
Until then, he’ll continue to count his blessings and appreciate the kindness that staff members and his roommate have given him.
“Just by saying, ‘Oh, you do matter; you’re homeless, but I’ll treat you like a human being,’ is nice to have when you’re homeless because everyone avoids them like the plague … except for the ones with a heart,” Martinez said.
