Council considers funding shelters

Monday, Nov. 5, 2001 | 9:35 a.m.

The Las Vegas City Council Wednesday will consider creating a trust fund for housing the homeless with $100,000 in federal funds, and spending $200,000 in city money to help fund four shelters and get more Metro Police into areas where the homeless are concentrated.

"The idea is to create a single funding mechanism to support the creation of low-income housing for the homeless," said Sharon Segerblom, director of the Neighborhood Services Department, which has recommended the moves.

Variations on the idea of creating a centralized, regional body to channel funds for helping the homeless were suggested in a report presented to the council Oct. 24.

The report, which came out of a homeless summit held Sept. 13, was prepared by a California-based nonprofit agency hired by the city to develop a plan to solve the homeless problem.

"This trust fund could conceivably accept both private and public donations, which would give the city and county more flexibility in addressing the problem," said Bill Arent, coordinator of the Homelessness Task Force of the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition.

Arent said the fund also would help avoid duplication of services and would conserve the scarce resources used to help the Las Vegas area's estimated homeless population of 10,000.

In addition to the federal money, the city staff will recommend giving $51,000 to MASH Village, $33,000 each to Catholic Charities, Salvation Army and Shade Tree, and $50,000 to Metro Police.

"The important thing is to start somewhere in addressing this problem," Segerblom said.