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Local
leaders involved in helping the homeless are calling for
volunteers to assist at the annual Homeless Stand Down
on Nov. 8 at
Cashman
Center
located at
850 N. Las Vegas Blvd.
As
part of the 14th annual event, local governments,
charities, shelters, service providers, businesses and
others involved in helping homeless people in Southern
Nevada are joining forces to provide a wide range of
services from housing to health care, all available in
one place at one time. The stand down is free and
open to homeless individuals. The day-long event
is being coordinated by the Southern Nevada Homeless
Coalition and is co-sponsored by the city of
Las Vegas
.
“This
event is an important part of our regional
Help
Hope
Home
initiative to help homeless people get off the
streets,” said Shannon West, regional homeless
services coordinator. “The idea is to bring the
community together to give people the help, hope and
housing that they need. We’ll have all sorts of
resources available, with most of the major service
providers in
Southern Nevada
on hand. Thanks to some great donors, we’re also
providing food, clothing and personal care items to
everyone who attends.”
West
expects this year’s stand down to serve more than
2,000 people, which would make it the largest event of
its kind ever held in
Southern Nevada
.
As
in past years, she said leading local providers will be
on hand to help homeless people access housing,
transportation, job training, health care, mental health
counseling, substance abuse treatment, child care, and
veterans and legal services. Participants include
Clark County Social Service, city and county courts,
emergency shelter providers, the city of Las Vegas
EVOLVE (Educational and Vocational Opportunities Leading
to Valuable Experience) program, Straight from the
Streets, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
HELP (Homeless Evaluation Liaison Project) Team, the
U.S. Social Security Administration, state welfare and
mental health services, nonprofit U.S. Vets, faith-based
groups and various housing providers.
According
to West, the latest research shows the local homeless
population at more than 14,500. She said this
includes an increasing number of homeless veterans,
families and children. In fact, she said the
Clark
County
School District
reports that more than 3,700 homeless children are
enrolled in local schools.
She
also cited recent statistics indicating that 16 percent
of homeless people in
Southern Nevada
are employed, 25 percent are veterans, 31 percent are
disabled, 33 percent have lived here at least 10 years
and 73 percent have at least a high school education.
Organizers
are seeking support from local residents, businesses and
organizations, who can volunteer, donate money or
provide in-kind services for the event and for the
Help
Hope
Home
initiative in general. West said a not-for-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.
“We
want people to realize that doing nothing costs
something,” West said.
With
donated help from supporters Bitfocus Inc. and Brown
& Partners Advertising and Public Relations, she
added that a public awareness campaign is being launched
this fall to generate community support. The
campaign will explain how it benefits taxpayers to
invest in helping homeless people as soon as possible
before their needs become so severe that they have a
huge impact on the health care, mental health, public
safety and judicial systems.
To
volunteer, donate or learn more, call 455-5626 or visit www.HelpHopeHome.org.
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