Salvation Army plans more homeless space

Twenty-five of the estimated 5,400 mentally ill homeless people in the Las Vegas Valley will soon find a way off the streets.

The Salvation Army is expanding its facility for the mentally ill by an additional 25 beds. Currently, it houses 42 people.

"This is just a drop in the bucket," said Sumner Dodge, a spokesman for the Salvation Army. "But it is a step in the right direction. There is a real need for these services in the community."

The addition to the facility at 35 W. Owens St. should be complete in August.

"The whole idea behind this facility is to take people off the street, get them properly medicated, find out what skills they have and then find them appropriate employment," Dodge said.

Social service providers estimate that one-third of all homeless people suffer from mental illnesses, he said.

"Since the most common estimate for the number of homeless people on the street here is 17,000, our guess is that 5,400 are mentally ill," Dodge said.

In recent months, North Las Vegas officials have expressed concern about image problems that the large number of homeless people congregating near its border with Las Vegas create. In fact, North Las Vegas has asked the newly formed Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition to study the issue and develop a regional plan for dealing with it.

MASH Village, the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities all operate major shelters in northern Las Vegas on or near Owens Avenue, the border between the two cities.

North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon said the expansion of the shelter is an issue that the city should examine.

"Many of the problems involving the homeless we are working on, for example, the issue of not enough bathrooms for the homeless," Montandon said. "But I hate to see the populations of the shelters growing willy-nilly."

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