County takes steps to help homeless

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2002 | 11:08 a.m.

A homeless camp washed away by a weekend rainstorm prompted Clark County commissioners Tuesday to explore new programs that would add more shelter beds and create a community triage center.

Money set aside in case a November ballot initiative aimed at providing steady revenue to homeless programs failed -- as it did by an overwhelming margin -- will be used to partially fund the new programs.

County commissioners are counting on the Las Vegas City Council to vote in favor of joining their effort today.

Clark County is working toward partnering with WestCare, a nonprofit agency, in operating a community triage center, resuscitating the MASH Crisis Intervention Center and adding more beds to two Southern Nevada shelters.

At the triage center, substance abuse counselors and mental health professionals would be available to treat mentally ill or inebriated homeless people. Emergency crews would drop those people at the triage facility rather than shuttling them to hospitals.

Overall, the county could spend $1.9 million over the next three years to supplement the $1.2 million already budgeted for homeless programs and services.

Homeless activist Linda Lera-Randle El, although somewhat wary, applauded the government agencies for moving to address the problem.

"Things look good on paper but we'd like to make sure we follow through with everything," Lera-Randle El told the board. "We have been throwing money at the homeless issues for ... I'm not sure how long. Put your political force forward to make a difference."

Commissioners simply listened to Community Resources Director Douglas Bell's presentation Tuesday. The board will vote on each allocation individually, the first being additional beds for shelters because of the urgency.

The county proposes spending $121,218 on 110 shelter beds to split between the Shade Tree shelter, which houses women and children, and Catholic Charities, a facility for men. The money would fund the beds through the chilly months until March 2003.

The most significant addition to the homeless system might be the WestCare Community Triage Center, a facility expected to cost nearly $4 million a year to operate.

Though pricey, the expenditure is a fraction of the costs local governments absorb from uninsured substance abuse and mentally ill patients visiting hospital emergency rooms every year, officials said.

In 2001, some 13,000 inebriates or mentally ill patients used emergency rooms at a cost of more than $16 million, according to the Chronic Public Inebriate Task Force, which is studying overcrowding at hospitals.

The patients typically are held in the emergency room until they are evaluated and assigned to various levels of treatment or counseling.

Local governments, hospitals and the state will split the cost of the triage center, a 30-month pilot program. The county's portion is expected to be about $1.2 million.

Bell said if the program is successful, legislators will likely consider long-term funding resources.

"This isn't a 10-month commitment; it will take a couple of years to evaluate the performance," Bell said. "If we went to (legislators) now, it would be a hard sell because it's an unproven program.

"But this is a collaborative effort. To make the thing work, other partners need to show up."

Commissioner Chip Maxfield said the triage center would be a worthwhile expense if it diverts uninsured patients from emergency rooms, thereby saving millions of dollars in taxpayers money.

"It would be a lot more beneficial to deal with this on the front end rather than the back," Maxfield said. "In order to stretch our dollars, we need to make sure (the city of) Las Vegas will help out on their part."

The third element of the homeless proposal relates to the crisis intervention center once managed by MASH Village, which closed in October. The county's Community Resource Management division proposes spending about $442,000 to provide management and social workers to the center the remainder of this year and all of 2003.

The additional $1.9 million dedicated to homeless services is in addition to $1.2 million the county already budgets for homeless programs annually.

Gary Peck, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, encouraged both the county and the city to help fund homeless shelters and programs. He also urged them to follow the programs and track the outcome.

"Our current situation is disgraceful; it's embarrassing," Peck said.

Commissioners approved an advisory question that asked voters in last month's election whether they would support a one-cent property tax increase to provide a steady source of funding.

Voter approval would have allowed legislators to consider such a tax, which would have generated about $4 million a year for homeless programs. The ballot question was voted down by a 2-to-1 margin.