City puts off MASH decision

Thursday, Oct. 4, 2001 | 9:22 a.m.

The Las Vegas City Council Wednesday delayed for an indefinite period of time any decision about whether to provide $50,000 to the MASH Village shelter for help in financing winter beds for the homeless.

The money had been requested by homeless advocate David Buer, a Franciscan friar. Buer said money needs to be raised to compensate for the loss of 175 Catholic Charities beds while a new shelter is being constructed.

MASH Village has funds to open a winter tent from Dec. 15 to March 15. But it would prefer to open the tent this month, for which no funds are available.

Clark County issued a challenge grant to local governments in August, offering $100,000 and agreeing to match funds from Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, and Boulder City. Boulder City has responded with $6,000 and the other local governments have not responded to date, Dean Collins, vice president of development for MASH Village, said.

"The city is deluged with requests right now from charitable agencies like Opportunity Village, with all the people being laid off," Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said Wednesday.

"This is a hard time for everyone, and it's hard to know what to do."

Goodman said he has begged the private sector to help with the issue. "It's amazing to me that a wealthy community like ours hasn't done anything about this."

Collins said Las Vegas hotels contributed about $350,000 to the center in fiscal year 2001. He also said that the nonprofit will not continue trying to raise funds for the tent because as the more pressing concern is offsetting a $500,000 deficit in the operating budget.

MASH Village announced earlier at the meeting that financial problems also led the center to back off from attempting to acquire the downtown post office on Stewart Avenue, which has been declared as surplus property by the federal government. The nonprofit organization said it would cost $7 million to fix problems with asbestos and lead paint in the historic building.