Sponsors and Volunteers Needed for Oct. 8 Homeless Outreach Event

Sponsors and volunteers are needed to help make the 17th Southern Nevada Project Homeless Connect event a success this year.

Each year, sponsors and volunteers help care for the county's homeless population by donating haircuts, dental and health check-ups and meals. The day-long event at Cashman Center, located at 850 N. Las Vegas Blvd., was formerly known as the Stand Down for the Homeless. It helps thousands of homeless people each year receive "a hand up, not a hand out." Staffed by volunteers from local governments, charities, shelters, businesses and others involved in trying to end and prevent homelessness, this event is coordinated by the Nevada Homeless Alliance (NHA) and co-sponsored by Clark County, the City of Las Vegas, the City of Henderson, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Project Homeless Connect is free to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

"This event puts homeless providers under one roof so we can address a multitude of issues affecting this population," Shannon West, Regional Homeless Services Coordinator said. "Every time we can get someone off the street, it saves the taxpayers money and gives that homeless person hope for a better life."

Organizers are seeking support from local residents, businesses and organizations to donate money or provide in-kind services for the event and for the Help Hope Home initiative in general. A non-profit account called the Homeless Trust Fund has been established and is being administered by the United Way of Southern Nevada to help the homeless in Southern Nevada year-round.

Doors will be open to participants from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for event check-in. The event will close at 4 p.m.

To volunteer, donate or get more information, call 455-4146 or visit www.HelpHopeHome.org.

Food Drive to Be Held Oct. 15

The Southern Nevada Multi-Housing Association is currently holding a citywide food drive, one of the many community outreach efforts organized by the group throughout the year. Cambridge Community Center will receive food donations collected by apartment communities and members of SNMA across Southern Nevada. 

"Our members are thrilled to make Cambridge, that has such great programs for seniors and families in need, the focus of our food drive," says Rhonda Sikes, Board Member of the SNMA.

SNMA is a non-profit corporation that provides education and legislation support on the city, county, state and national levels. SNMA supports the community through its outreach programs and donations to several charities.

The food drive runs through Wednesday, October 15. For information on drop-off locations of non-perishable items and information on participating communities, please contact Toya Weaver at 436-7662.

The Seas at Christy is one of 6 neighborhoods targeted for cleanup in District E.

In an effort to build neighborhoods by bringing neighbors together to clean and get to know each other, Clark County and its partners cleaned up  dead trees, old appliances and unwanted items left curbside by the neighbors.

Neighbors and student volunteers from the Students Organization of Latinos of Southeast Career Technical Academy helped with the cleanup which was deemed a success. Ten dumpsters were filled with trash, appliances were taken away and graffiti in the area was cleaned. Illegal cars were towed away by the Constable's Office.

The county created Neighborhood Pride Zones years ago, which created an opportunity for neighbors to work together to maintain the community. Commissioner Giunchigliani expanded the role of the Neighborhood Pride Zone to include more departments within Clark County to clean up older, more neglected areas and help neighbors come together.

The goal of Project Neighborhood Pride is to improve communication, understanding and cooperation between Clark County citizens and county officials through increased personal contact in the local neighborhoods. Citizen participation is crucial if efforts to revitalize and preserve the community are to be effective.

Las Vegas and Reno - Sierra Pacific Power and Nevada Power companies announced today that two walk-in customer service operations facilities will Friday, October 31. This move is due to the large number of customers who utilize other options including more than 180 Shop & Pay locations statewide and the improved Online Pay program.

As of Oct. 31, Nevada Power's Las Vegas office located at 6226 W. Sahara Ave. and Sierra Pacific's 6100 Neil Road location will no longer accept walk-in customers.  This includes all customer service transactions such as new accounts or changes to service as well as bill payments (walk-in, drive-thru and drop box). The two companies will continue to offer multiple alternatives for paying bills, connecting or disconnecting service, or getting answers to billing or service questions.

The Shop & Pay program offers more than 140 supermarkets, drugstores and other locations in southern Nevada and more than 40 in northern Nevada where payments can be made.  Payments are guaranteed and posted hourly.  For a list of locations, customers can visit www.nevadapower.com or www.sierrapacific.com.  

In addition, Online Pay through My Account is secure and convenient.

Due to cuts made in the General Fund budget, there is a delay getting some of the Senior Tax program rebate checks in the mail.  The Senior Tax program is fully funded by the state's General Fund; therefore, when reductions in state agency budgets were made the program was impacted.  Funding for the program was reduced for the 08-09 fiscal year by $243,387, which directly affected the rebate checks.

Rebate checks went out by August 15 to applicants that are at or below federal poverty level.  Poverty level this year for one person is $10,210 and for two (husband and wife) $13,690 and it does change every year.

However, because there was reduced funding and the division received close to 3,000 more applications this year than last year, the rebate checks for the remaining applicants are delayed.  By statute the division has to go before the Interim Finance Committee (IFC) to request additional money to make up the deficit.  We do not know when the next IFC is being scheduled yet.

If IFC approves the additional funding, then the remaining eligible applicants will receive the full rebate amount in which they are entitled.  If IFC does not approve additional funding, the eligible applicants will receive a reduced rebate check, Either way, the division is required to send out those rebate checks within 30 days after the IFC meeting.

Metro Holds Crime Prevention Community Safety Fair Oct. 18

October is National Crime Prevention Month and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is hosting a Crime Prevention Community Safety Fair for Las Vegas Valley residents and business owners.

The event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 18 from 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at Bonanza High School on 6665 Del Rey Ave. 

The fair will focus on crime prevention safety for children, families, senior citizens and businesses.There will be a set schedule of short informational seminars in the main auditorium and more than 40 different safety booths sponsored by Metro, Clark County School District Police Department, Clark County Public Response Office, Nevada Child Seekers, Nevada Missing Loved Ones, The Rape Crisis Center, Prevent Child Abuse America and Southwest Business Crime Watch Group.

Public Invited to Water Quality Management Plan Open House

The Clark County Department of Air Quality invites all residents to attend an open house for the Water Quality Management Plan. The Water Quality Management Plan is a planning document used by county decision makers to plan for water quality and development/expansion of infrastructure through a 30-year planning timeframe. 

The county currently has five (5) approved plans based on land use planning areas: South County, Laughlin, Las Vegas Valley, Northeast, and Rural Northwest. The purpose of the current project is to combine the five approved plans into one county-wide plan and update the plan. 

The purpose of the public outreach program, currently in progress, is to notify county residents about issues covered in the county-wide plan that are pertinent to their community. In order to do so, there will be several presentations to be done before rural Town Area Boards. The urban committees and all residents are invited to an Open House to be held on November 19, from 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) Building, 600 Grand Central Parkway, Room 108.  
 
The project is being funded with County funds and a grant from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP).   This plan will go before the Board of County Commission for approval in early 2009, prior to submittal to NDEP and the Environmental Protection Agency.  

$4 Billion Allocated to Help Rehab Foreclosed Homes

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced allocations for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The new $4 billion program was authorized this summer by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 to provide assistance to States and local governments to redevelop abandoned and foreclosed homes. These allocations provide a window of opportunity to render homes lead-safe, otherwise healthy, and energy-efficient, since jurisdictions will need to ensure that the properties to be conveyed to new occupants meet basic standards including local codes and relevant federal requirements.

To find out how much has been allocated to your local/state government, click here. 

Funds can be used to purchase, rehab, and redevelop foreclosed properties so that they can be sold or rented to households with income below 120% of area median income (AMI) " and at least 25% of the beneficiaries must have income at or below 50% of AMI. As authorized at Division B, Title III, Section 2301 of the Act, funds may also be used to establish land banks for foreclosed homes, demolish blighted structures; and redevelop demolished or vacant properties.

The proposed federal regulations for the program have not yet been announced. The statute states: "Any rehabilitation of a foreclosed upon home or residential property under this section shall be to the extent necessary to comply with applicable laws, codes, and other requirements relating to housing safety, equality, and habitability, in order to sell, rent, or redevelop such homes and properties. Rehabilitation may include improvements to increase the energy efficiency or conservation of such homes and properties or provide a renewable energy source or sources for such homes and properties."

The program provides communities with a one-time infusion of funds for existing housing to nearly triple total block grant investments in acquisition and rehab on a one-time* basis during the coming year. To put the fund level in perspective: 45% ($820M) of HUD's $1.8 billion Home Investment Partnerships is spent on rehab and 16% ($290M) is spent on acquisition. Around $1 billion of HUD's $4 billion CDBG program is spent on housing activities including but not limited to acquisition and rehab.

The proposed bailout bill does not now include additional funds for this program, but, stay tuned, Treasury is required to build into any plan for modifying the terms of a mortgage the need for operating funds to maintain decent and safe conditions at the property, and will by necessity begin to factor asset value into future mortgage securitization.

Huntridge Neighborhood Approved for Improvments