Group works quietly on homeless policies

By Timothy Pratt

Wednesday, May 8, 2002 | 9:43 a.m.

A state policy group on homeless families with children decided Monday not to pursue formalizing its status under the governor's office for the time being, affirming instead that its work begun late last year can continue without such a move.

The 19-member body includes the governor's chief of staff, directors of state social service agencies, homeless shelter officials, legislative officials and Las Vegas and Clark County officials. It has been meeting monthly via video conference in Carson City and Las Vegas since last December, after participating in November in a federally funded workshop on the issue held in New Mexico.

"We're basically a group of people trying to coordinate local and state agencies working with homeless families to use resources that are already out there more effectively," said Anne Cory, president of United Way for Northern Nevada and co-chairwoman of the group, which calls itself the state policy academy on homeless families with children.

Cory said the academy has been under the radar of public and media attention while it has been deciding on its direction, but that Monday's meeting helped shore up the commitment of its members to continue meeting and shaping state policy on homelessness.

"We felt it was not a bad time to let people know we're there, and what we're doing," she said.

"Members of the group felt it was somewhat ad hoc, and were concerned about receiving the attention of state agency directors without some formal designation from the state," she said in explaining Monday's meeting.

"But everybody affirmed that our work would continue, regardless of the group's status."

Academy member Carlos Brandenburg, who is also administrator of the Nevada Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services, said the group is developing a written plan on homelessness for the state, and hopes to coordinate with the Homelessness Task Force, a subcommittee of the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition, so as not to work at cross purposes.

"We want to move past some of the finger-pointing that's historically existed on this issue and maximize resources, not duplicate efforts," he said.