Homeless given deadline to move

Tuesday, June 26, 2001 | 11:04 a.m.

A final chapter in the Tent City saga will be written Friday with the removal of the remaining homeless camped near railroad tracks, but the story, officials agree, is far from over.

Metro Police Officer Kendall Wiley early today and on Monday was at the site, between Owens and Washington avenues, handing out fliers, informing the homeless they have until the end of the day Friday to move out.

Crews will be coming in Saturday to clean up the area that is blighted with ramshackle cardboard-box homes.

"I was not giving out trespass notices, just a warning to let them know they have to leave the area," said Wiley, who has developed a rapport with the homeless as a representative of Metro's Homeless Evaluation Liaison Program.

"I have been up front with them, and I believe they understand I have a job to do and that they won't put me in a position to have to make arrests or issue citations."

A two-week survey by the Salvation Army to locate the homeless people who wanted to be helped was completed, with about 40 people taking advantage of services ranging from mental health to job placement programs, officials said.

At least another 60 people, upon learning that they would be cited for trespassing, already have moved from the area, where sides of buildings are commonly used as toilets and garbage is heaped high. An estimated 80 to 100 remain.

Ironically, a number of the homeless who left are believed to be camping on land adjacent to the Clark County building on Grand Central Avenue -- a move that purportedly was amusing to some at Las Vegas City Hall this morning.

That is because the city has long maintained that homelessness should be treated as a regional problem, even though most of the Las Vegas Valley's shelters are within Las Vegas city limits. The county and other entities have been slow to act.

"Everyone who wanted a bed has gotten a bed," city of Las Vegas spokeswoman Andrea Smith said. "We are grateful to the Salvation Army for its efforts. Unfortunately not everyone wanted to take advantage of the services they have available."

The Salvation Army's administrator of Homeless Services, Duane Sonnenberg, said nine of the homeless enrolled in the Salvation Army's mental health assistance program, which provides a shelter bed, and 15 to 20 others got involved in the job development program. A handful of others sought other assistance programs.

"A number of people we approached did not want to hear what we have to offer and I guess have moved on," Sonnenberg said. "All we can do is try to let them know what we have to offer."

The problem is far from resolved, he said.

"We need a well-thought-out, long-term strategy for addressing the homeless issue -- something community-wide -- and addressing the issue from homelessness right through to permanent housing," Sonnenberg said.