Officials review plans for homeless center

By Timothy Pratt

Wednesday, June 18, 2003 | 11:08 a.m.

A plan to create a new home for an embattled one-stop center for the homeless was discussed behind closed doors Tuesday afternoon.

The proposal involves renovating a building on the downtown campus of Catholic Charities and moving the agencies currently located in the Crisis Intervention Center across Main Street when the center's funding runs out June 30.

The plan was developed in a meeting chaired by United Way Director of Community Development Merlinda Gallegos that included seven of the eight public and private agencies currently housed at the center, Catholic Charities, and representatives from Clark County, Las Vegas and Henderson. A North Las Vegas representative could not attend but will participate in future discussions, Gallegos said.

The center has been controversial in recent months after Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said the city would not continue to fund it if all the other major municipalities didn't pitch in. After Henderson said it wouldn't support the center, the Las Vegas City Council also voted not to provide funds in its June 4 meeting. The council is now considering demolishing the building that has long housed the center.

Tuesday's meeting was a "great start" at keeping the services currently provided at the center in the same area and under one roof, Gallegos said.

The plan calls for getting an estimate on the cost of renovation some time in July and starting around January 2004.

"We hope to do some creative stuff to fund the renovation, including private sources and in-kind contributions," said Dan Goulet, president of United Way.

The nonprofit would also pay part of the costs if necessary, Goulet said.

The costs of maintaining the new center would be paid in part by having the agencies pay rent, a policy not followed at the current center.

Gallegos said she was "counting on the municipalities pulling together and recognizing it's a regional problem."