Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Group aims to mend gaps in Southern Nevada’s social services

Las Veas Homeless Camp

Homeless people are shown on a Las Vegas sidewalk.

On April 23, the CEO Exchange, a group that includes several leaders of local nonprofits such as Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada, the Center, Three Square and Catholic Charities, invited the state Department of Health and Human Services for a day tour of the Valley.

They discussed social service issues that affect Southern Nevadans, such mental health, communication between state and local providers, communication between Southern Nevadan nonprofits, the need to identify areas that aren’t receiving essential services and additional support for the homeless.

“The issues in Northern Nevada are very different from the issues in Southern Nevada. Northern Nevada controls a lot of the funding for Southern Nevada,” said Brian Knudsen, a member of the CEO Exchange. “A lot of the leadership is in Northern Nevada. What we’re trying to do is expose the leadership in Northern Nevada to some of the issues, challenges and key players in Southern Nevada.”

By the end of the meeting, the Department of Health and Human Services committed to helping with three things. It will collaborate with the CEO Exchange for policy-making, actively engage in the Corridor of Hope and increase funding for the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Nevada.

This story originally appeared in the Las Vegas Weekly.