Program targets homeless youths

By Timothy Pratt

Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2001 | 11:03 a.m.

Youths 18 and under who are homeless will be able to find help at a center scheduled for an Oct. 1 opening.

Showers, clean clothing, food and job counseling are among the services that will be offered at the center, which will be located at 2550 E. Tropicana Ave., between Eastern Avenue and Topaz Street.

The center will be operated by Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, a nonprofit organization formed by the Clark County Health District in 1999.

Gov. Kenny Guinn signed the Right to Shelter law, or Assembly Bill 264, which was passed by the 2001 Legislature. The law allows such centers to offer services without parental consent.

The shelter opens the day the law becomes effective.

This is critical in helping homeless youths, since up to 80 percent of them have been physically or sexually abused in their homes, David Meraux, founder of Street Teens, said. Street Teens is the organization that will provide the services.

Armed with a letter of support from District Attorney Stewart Bell, Meraux, a retired executive, and 50 volunteers have been working with displaced youths for two years.

"The legal protection (afforded by the new law), together with the new center, will be very important for us to continue our work," Meraux said.

Meraux's volunteers include teachers, social workers, housewives and casino workers. They take a six-week training course to work with Street Teens and are fingerprinted and run through FBI background checks.

Renovation and construction at the site, which cost about $100,000, was provided through the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. Funding for the coalition comes from United Way, private donations and a federal grant.