More help is on the way

Mathis Winkler

Thursday, Oct. 11, 2001 | 10:22 a.m.

To make an appointment to visit Project Helping Hands 2, call 735-1090. The center is next to Green Valley High School near the corner of Warm Springs Road and Arroyo Grande Boulevard and open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Project Helping Hand at the Culinary Union is at 1630 S. Commerce St. and offers help Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

And that was a good thing for those in need of assistance in the wake of the recent economic downturn.

As thousands one week ago stood in line for hours at the first Project Helping Hand at the Culinary Workers Union Hall, the 50-plus workers at Project Helping Hand 2 in Henderson helped 150 people with issues such as welfare applications, utility bill payment schedules and rent.

But organizers of the Henderson center said phone appointments for the coming days were filling quickly. And the lower number of visitors made for shorter wait times, allowing project workers to offer more individualized attention.

"We'll have more Kleenex available tomorrow," said Punam Mathur, MGM Mirage's vice president for community affairs and the center's manager.

"People come in with a crisis and are able to breathe a little," Mathur said. "It's clear that people are in need of help."

Boyd Gaming Corp., Park Place Entertainment and MGM MIRAGE each have freed up employees to work at the center.

The Community College of Southern Nevada has donated space at its Green Valley tech center, and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce is handling phone appointments. The gaming companies, as well as helping to man the center, will also shoulder the cost of running the operation.

Some of the first visitors Wednesday morning had no choice but to return home to obtain necessary documents.

Others, such as Estelle Bautista, said they would return today when state officials are available to help them with unemployment claims.

Bautista, who lost her job as a dealer at Circus Circus on Sept. 14, said she tried unsuccessfully to claim unemployment benefits via the state's phone system. She was desperate for help.

"I never had unemployment in my life," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow," after meeting with state officials who can help her file a claim.