Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Count of Las Vegas-area homeless shows numbers dwindling

Homeless Census 2013

Leila Navidi

A woman sleeping on A Street is counted by volunteers conducting a census of the homeless in Clark County in downtown Las Vegas early in the morning on Thursday, January 24, 2013.

Homeless Census 2013

Volunteers conduct a census of the homeless in Clark County on A Street and Washington Avenue in downtown Las Vegas early in the morning on Thursday, January 24, 2013. Launch slideshow »

The number of homeless in Clark County continues to decrease following record levels in 2009.

The results of the 2013 Homeless Census and Survey released on Thursday revealed that there are 7,355 homeless people in Nevada, including 3,034 unsheltered homeless, Clark County spokeswoman Stacey Welling said. However, the survey estimated that 33,882 people in Southern Nevada experienced homelessness at least once during the previous year.

Volunteers and the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition's Committee on Homelessness officials spent two days in January counting homeless throughout the county. They saw thousands of men and women sleeping on sidewalks, next to railroad tracks and in back alleys, said Tyrone Thompson, the regional initiatives coordinator for the coalition, in a press release.

Yet the data also showed that the county has seen a 45 percent decline in homeless over the past four years, following a record-high 13,338 homeless in 2009, Welling said. Programs and services from the state, local government and nonprofits have helped place more people in homes and assist the homeless, Welling said.

“The results of the 2013 homeless census show that we have made great strides in our efforts to help families and individuals get back on their feet, but there is still a lot more work to be done,” Thompson said.

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