Trust fund for homeless finds support

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Friday, Oct. 22, 2004 | 9:10 a.m.

A committee of local government administrators approved the idea of creating a trust fund for the homeless Thursday, reviving the idea for the second time in recent years.

The trust fund would be backed by mostly private sources, administered by United Way, and governed by the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition, the homeless committee's parent group, according to Paula Haynes-Green, regional homeless coordinator.

The fund could pay for projects ranging from shelters to helping specific groups such as homeless children, committee members said, and could also be used to match federal grants. There are an estimated 7,800 homeless people in the valley, based upon a census conducted earlier this year.

The committee on homelessness, led by Clark County Manager Thom Reilly, has been meeting about a year after taking the baton from another regional group chaired by Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman that met for nearly two years.

The earlier group folded after the idea of setting up a trust fund requiring taxpayer backing failed at the polls in the November 2002 elections.

"I'm excited that we have a proposal that, instead of talking about it as we have been for a couple of years, we can finally move forward," Reilly said at the meeting.

The group not only agreed about how to run the trust fund, but also decided to move forward in advertising the idea.

There would also be an advisory committee to the trust fund, "with heavy hitters ... from the casino industry," Reilly said.

Haynes-Green said the time to move on the plan is now.

"The fact is, if a donor has money burning a hole in his pocket, you want to make sure that money stops here and not somewhere else," she said.

As for donors, Haynes-Green said the initial source of funds would be a fledgling project slated for the Strip called the Walk of Stars, a series of stars with the names of entertainers that will be placed on the sidewalk. The stars will be paid for by individuals or private groups and will cost $15,000 each -- $750 of which will go to the trust fund.

So far, there are no stars on the Strip's sidewalks, but Reilly said the first one is slated for next week.

Haynes-Green also told the committee she is in conversations with an anonymous donor who is "talking with his tax advisors to see how to go about" offering money to the trust fund.

The two reported sources of funds were offered as reasons to go ahead with presenting the trust fund plan to the regional planning coalition for approval at its next meeting, as well as with developing a marketing campaign, which Haynes-Green said would be donated as well.