Report paints poor picture of LV homeless

Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2003 | 9:22 a.m.

A report out this week gives what may be the most complete picture of the Las Vegas Valley's homeless in recent years, a period that has seen great controversy over the thousands living in the valley's streets.

The report -- issued by Downey Research Associates, working with the Southern Nevada Coalition for the Homeless -- shows that more of the valley's homeless are out of work, poor and in bad health than at any time in the last four years. They are also more likely to attempt suicide than before, the study said.

The information comes on the heels of months of stone-throwing between municipal governments on how much each should spend on helping the homeless, as well as a national report last week that called Las Vegas the nation's "meanest city" to the homeless.

But much of the conflicts have taken place in the absence of clear information on who the homeless are and what they need, making the report more valuable, public and private sector leaders on the issue said.

"We don't have a clear picture of who the homeless are," said Thom Reilly, Clark County manager. "We often take it from national studies and extrapolate to our area. (But) any time you have more information, it is easier for planning, both individually and regionally."

The report compares results from surveys given to the homeless from 1999 to 2002 at an annual one-day Las Vegas event called the Stand Down for the Homeless, considered the largest event of its kind by national organizations working on the issue.

In 2002, 2,026 people took the survey -- the highest number during the period measured. About three-fourths of those who took the survey were men and the average age was 43.

The report showed that only 13.7 percent of those who took the survey said they were currently working, down from about 18 percent during each of the previous three years.

It also said that more people -- 70.6 percent -- reported living on less than $200 during the previous month in 2002, compared with 65.9 percent in 1999.

A related indicator shows that more people -- 57.7 percent -- said they were getting some sort of social service in 2002, compared with 50.9 percent in 1999.

The meaning of those numbers depends on whom you ask. For an economist, they are a measure of tough times in recent years, both nationwide and statewide. For advocates, the homeless are doing worse because programs are failing them.

"This kind of reflects what's going on in the economy -- and the lower-skilled are going to be more sensitive to these changes," said Bradley Wimmer, assistant professor of economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

But Linda Lera Randle-El, director of Straight from the Streets, a nonprofit that helps the homeless, said that the numbers are damning for the public and private sector alike.

"They can be seen as outcome measurements of millions of dollars we have spent during this period only to have these people report that they're worse off than they were in 1999," Lera-Randle El said.

"We're spending money and making more comfortable agencies and workers, but doing little to help the homeless themselves."

Wimmer also said the report offered a different picture to those who might assume that many homeless aren't working because they don't want to work.

Fifty-five percent of those who were not working said they were looking for work, which is much higher than the overall population, he said.

"About 10 percent of people in general who are not working are looking for work and can't find it," he said.

"With the homeless, the percentage is much higher ... which is probably due to them not having the set of skills to be employed."

The report's conclusions about health -- including mental health -- may be directly related to those involving the economy, said Brian Brooks, director for the Health Care for the Homeless clinic of Nevada Health Centers and organizer of the Stand Down.

"If unemployment is up and income down, illnesses go up and then attempted suicides will go up," Brooks said.

The report showed that more people -- 47 percent -- said they had serious health problems in 2002, compared with about 42 percent in previous years. Twenty percent said they suffered from depression, making it the most common problem, followed by mental illness, alcohol and drug addictions.

Though only 4 percent reported having gambling problems in 2002, 25 percent said they gambled at least a few times a month.

Nearly 16 percent said they had attempted suicide in 2002, up from 13.8 percent in 2001.

One indicator mirrored the valley's tendency to draw people from elsewhere -- about 20 percent in 2002 said they had moved to the area in the last six months.

Maurice Silva, a social worker with Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services, said he saw this same characteristic in his day-to-day work with the homeless.

"Many come here seeking jobs ... thinking that Las Vegas is a valley of gold," he said.