Editorial: A chance now to aid homeless

Tuesday, May 6, 2003 | 8:46 a.m.

The homeless population in the Las Vegas Valley, estimated at 8,000, is growing at about 5 percent a year. Yet homeless services in the valley are shrinking to barely perceptible levels. While this discrepancy has been known for years by local government leaders, its consequences have been borne by the men, women and children whose circumstances have forced them into area shelters. And they are the lucky ones. A growing deficit of shelter space is forcing thousands of homeless people to seek refuge underneath whatever materials they manage to scavenge.

The plight of the homeless is not a good reflection on Las Vegas. National organizations have excoriated us for generating enormous wealth through our tourism economy but sharing so little with the least of our citizens. The image is further fortified through the eyes of tourists. The homeless spill into our resort areas because day centers for them are virtually nonexistent. The homeless population is growing because local governments cannot reach consensus on a plan to even stabilize it, much less begin reducing it.

We are not alone in saying it's time to adopt a plan that addresses the misery occurring night and day on our streets. A citizens' group has now stepped forward with some excellent ideas that could form the basis for a regional plan. Calling itself Southern Nevada Advocates for Homeless People, the group has put together a 10-page brief whose central theme is that our local governments have a moral obligation to cooperate in rendering aid to homeless people. The brief spells out the areas of need -- shelter heads the list -- and offers specific proposals for meeting the needs.

Included in the group are Leroy Pelton, a professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, David Buer, a Franciscan brother whose life is dedicated to helping the homeless, and Frank Perna, a longtime advocate for veterans and homeless people. They will present their ideas to state government, Clark County, and the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas. They argue persuasively that these governments together should contribute a total of $8 million to $10 million a year toward a comprehensive program that could, over time, become a model for humanitarianism.

We ask local governments to end their stalemate on the homeless issue. They should read this group's ideas and begin working together to form them into a regional plan.