Where I Stand — Ruthe Deskin: Conditions illustrate charities need our support

Tuesday, Feb. 3, 1998 | 11:04 a.m.

Everything is coming up rosy.

Union members, who celebrated the end of the six-year, four-month, 10-day strike against the Last Frontier hotel-casino, would agree.

But ask some of the homeless men who hang around downtown shelters hoping for an opportunity for a job, and they will tell you that life in Las Vegas can be a tough experience for many.

In this era of unprecedented prosperity, it seems unlikely that there could be so many people looking for work and down on their luck. Proof that all is not rosy can be seen each time a new hotel announces that job applications are being accepted. Thousands of people line the sidewalks hoping for the interview that will take them off the streets and into a job that will pay enough to assure their families adequate food, clothing and housing.

Recently attention has been centered on the plight of hundreds of homeless men who walk the streets during the daylight hours and seek shelter at night. Often they are accompanied by women and children.

The situation is best described by David Buer, a member of the steering committee for the Southern Nevada Homeless Coalition and director of the Poverello House -- a hospitality house where homeless men can shower and do their laundry.

In describing conditions his group found during a three-day vigil in December, Buer wrote:

"What we found were conditions no one could be proud of. Over 150 men were crowded into the building (the city-county funded overflow shelter) wall to wall, at street level and in the basement. Each guest was given a mat on the floor to sleep on, but no blanket -- they slept in their clothes. The guests were not allowed to bring in any bag or blanket, so if they had any other possessions besides what was on their back, they had to stash it somewhere outside hoping no one would take it. There was no running water or plumbing in the building. The staff there, who were doing the best they could in the circumstances, told us that on an average night they had to turn away 10 to 15 men for lack of space, and there were more than that who could not get in, but many homeless men gaze at the line before the shelter opens, and if it is too long they do not even attempt to get in."

Help often comes from another shelter. Buer remembered that St. Vincent's offered assistance:

"Immediately, St. Vincent's responded by lowering the number of men in the building to 125 and guaranteeing a spot on the floor for the rest in their annex. As it turned out, over 50 more guests used that overflow. Blankets were also distributed and allowed to be brought in. Within a few weeks, St. Vincent's installed two more port-a-potties and was busy securing another building around the corner to relieve the crowding. St. Vincent's plans to open a brand-new 280 bed shelter, that will further relieve, but not eliminate the overcrowding of other shelters."

Buer makes a point of saying that the Coalition has no intention of criticizing St. Vincent's or any other shelter provider.

All charities, who serve the homeless, are stretched to the limit. St. Vincent's provides basic services to hundreds of homeless men everyday as well as the "nearly homeless" who are on their work program.

According to Buer the Salvation Army has given sleep space to the homeless in what is normally a day center and even in their chapel. The Salvation Army has found itself in a position of having run out of food on many occasions, and having to appeal to the public for help. The Shade Tree shelter for women and children, he says, "also faces the unhappy task of regularly turning guests away because of lack of space."

The Coalition recognizes the often frustrating work done by local charities and shelters. The need for more space and more money is acute, but the most simple list of urgent requirements would include a cot, clean toilets, access to sinks and soap, access to drinking water, a chance to sleep at least seven hours continuously, a warm and safe environment.

The homeless need compassion, but most of all a shelter instead of a camp along the railroad tracks or empty desert lot.

The Southern Nevada Homeless Coalition is working with public and private organizations to find solutions "to meet the basic human needs of the homeless in our community" and to assist those organizations who are trying so desperately to meet the need.

It's only a few miles from the posh luxury of the Strip hotels to the rundown shabbiness of some of the local shelters, but there might as well be a continent between the two.

There are many compassionate and understanding people who have dedicated their lives to bringing hope to the hopeless, homes to the homeless, and dignity to the downtrodden. They are represented by the many charitable organizations existing for the sole purpose of making everything come up rosy for the largest possible number.

They all need our help.