Rescue mission offers hope and new play area for homeless kids

Erica Johnson

Monday, June 25, 2001 | 8:33 a.m.

Nine-year-old Trista and her little sister, Kayla, were longing for a place to play. They got their wish Wednesday, climbing on a colorful new plastic playground unit outside the Las Vegas Rescue Mission's Women and Children's Shelter.

"They love it," said their mother, Dawn, who has resided at the shelter for three months and asked that her last name be withheld.

"They love being outside. This is a way for them to release their energy and express themselves."

Dawn's girls were two of the half-dozen children who broke in the new play equipment as the rescue mission, 414 W. Bonanza Road, celebrated the dedication of its new playground last week and the official naming of its women and children's shelter, The Shelter of Hope.

The shelter, unnamed since its creation in 1982, needed to have a name that expressed what it means, David Blacksmith, the mission's executive director.

"We decided to call it Shelter of Hope because we want it to be a ray of hope to every woman and child who is homeless in Las Vegas."

According to a 1999 UNLV survey of the homeless population, women made up more than 25 percent of Las Vegas' homeless population while children made up 23 percent. The study estimated that there were more than 593 homeless children in Las Vegas on a given night.

Blacksmith said those numbers have grown and continue to grow. One night last summer, he said, 18 children lived in the shelter.

"These kids are victims in all this," said Blacksmith, who runs the shelter with his wife, Sheryl. "We wanted to liven up a time in their lives that is negative."

The Shelter of Hope, which recently underwent a face lift that included new paint, beds and an indoor children's playroom, has 49 emergency beds and 21 long- and short-term rooms. There are three family rooms.

Along with the Shade Tree, at 1 W. Owens Ave. near Main Street, the Shelter of Hope is one of only two shelters for women and children in Las Vegas. The Shelter of Hope was full by Thursday.

Blacksmith said the mission sponsored fund-raisers to pay for the construction of the outdoor playground and indoor playroom, raising about $11,000, just shy of the $14,000 the project cost.

Tom Clark, a local playground installer, donated his time, while the fence surrounding the play area and the carpet in the playroom were donated by local companies.

The Las Vegas Rescue Mission has offered shelter, food, clothing and counseling to Las Vegas' homeless since 1970. In addition to the Shelter of Hope, the mission, enclosed by a metal security gate, includes a men's shelter, a cafeteria, a chapel and a thrift store.

Brie Shelton, a short-term resident of the shelter, said she and her husband came to the mission to start over and make a better life for their 14- month-old son, Kyler.

"This place means a lot to me," Shelton said. "It's a great place to be when you need help, whether it's physical, emotional or spiritual."

The Blacksmiths said the mission employs case managers who help rehabilitate residents by teaching them life and job skills.

While emergency beds are reserved for stays of seven days or less, short-term residents can stay up to four months, while long-term residents can stay up to a year.

The mission is preparing to start construction on an additional facility for men, which will include a library, classrooms, and computer rooms. The new building will also contain three rooms for single fathers with children.

Blacksmith said the plans for the new building will go before the Las Vegas Planning Commission next week and are expected to go before the City Council by July.