Homelessness panel losing coordinator

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Monday, May 20, 2002 | 10:16 a.m.

A regional task force on homelessness will lose its coordinator after today's meeting, leaving its members worried that they will lose momentum in their work.

Bill Arent, who in his job with Las Vegas' Neighborhood Services coordinated the task force's work since its founding in February 2001, is moving to the city's Office of Business Development.

Arent said it is unclear whether his replacement at Neighborhood Services will also replace him on the task force, which is chaired by Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman.

"I just hope the work we have done so far will be able to continue at the same pace and that we can get someone new in and hit the ground running," said Gus Ramos, deputy executive director for the Clark County Housing Authority and a member of the task force.

In its 15 months of existence, the task force, a committee of the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition, has drawn up a five-point plan to reduce homelessness, which has been approved by the coalition.

Today it was due to review the latest revisions to the plan, including ongoing questions about who should control any money raised to put it in action. The group is also due to consider a proposed property tax increase and upcoming federal grant applications to pay for the plan.

Though funds to address homelessness occupy much of the task force's ongoing work, Arent said the biggest challenge for the group in his absence will be ideological, not material.

"The greatest obstacle the task force faces is getting elected officials and the community to understand we're looking for a systemic change in how we deal with the problem -- not just addressing its symptoms by throwing more money at beds and other services, but trying to get at the causes of homelessness, which are very complex," he said.

As coordinator of the group -- which includes officials from Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Clark County, as well as representatives of business, nonprofits and the community -- Arent researched and helped write the plan and kept the task force on track.

"Through this process, he gained knowledge of how other communities nationwide are dealing with homelessness. This, together with his institutional knowledge of the options available to local governments, is going to be hard to replace," said Shawna Parker, management analyst for Clark County Community Resources and a member of the task force work group.

The task force's greatest achievement in its first year was just to get everybody at the same table, Arent said.

"Having elected officials and top people from organizations such as United Way and MGM Grand attending meetings on an ongoing basis has shown that the issue is important to a lot of people," he said.

Parker agreed.

"Though the work hasn't yet resulted in any more beds or less homelessness, it will, in the long run."