Officials study plans to protect homeless center

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Tuesday, June 3, 2003 | 11:16 a.m.

Public and private agencies that serve the homeless in a one-stop center downtown joined with representatives of local governments on Monday to come up with a plan to save the center from closing at the end of June.

The Crisis Intervention Center, set to close June 30 if it doesn't find a new source of funding, is all that remains of what was once a sprawling campus that included a shelter, a clinic and housing for families. The other services shut down last fall.

The group's plan includes keeping Catholic Charities in place -- the agency currently running the center -- at a price of $480,000 per year. Las Vegas would be expected to contribute $167,200 of that amount. At its May 21 meeting, the Las Vegas City Council agenda included a request for a city contribution of $243,000 to the center, but the council put off a decision until Wednesday's meeting.

The group will forward its recommendation today to the city.

"There was not one person (in the group) that didn't think the center should remain open," said Darryl Martin, director for Clark County Social Service, one of the agencies that works at the center.

The center, which once held more than 40 public and private agencies, now has only eight, plus Catholic Charities. Its future has become controversial in recent months, after Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said his city should not continue funding the center unless North Las Vegas and Henderson also contributed.

North Las Vegas voted two weeks ago to contribute $40,000 to the center. But Henderson has made no decision on the issue.

Henderson officials "were at the meeting today, but they made no commitment," Martin said. "I'm sure there will be discussion on that."

Bonnie Rinaldi, assistant city manager for Henderson, said, "Monday's meeting doesn't change our position as far as I know.

"In general, we have our own population of homeless ... (and) they receive services through local service providers.

"We want to be a part of the regional solution to the problem ... but it is hard to justify spending more of our taxpayers' money on services we don't use," she said.

Rinaldi did not attend Monday's meeting.

Some who did attend said it was also important to bring back many of the agencies and services that once worked at the center, as well as bringing on new services such as job training.

But money, or its absence, overshadowed those concerns.

"I'd like to see it like it was two years ago," said Maurice Silva, a social worker for Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services who works at the center.

"(But) I think people are concerned about it staying open," Silva said.

"Once it's shown that there is more commitment to staying here, maybe these other things can be addressed."