Las Vegas neighborhoods see surge in homelessness, residents demand action

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Clark County reported a significant increase in the homeless population over the past year with trash and debris lining the streets and several homeless encampments set up.

Those who live along Nellis Boulevard and Desert Inn Road want answers as to what is being done to stop this from continuing.

“I’ve seen fights I’ve seen people smoking fentanyl and smoking meth. I have also seen them open the fire hydrant and just let the water flow out,” east valley resident Elizabeth Mena said.

“I live in a senior community and they walk down our parks at all hours of the night and none of us want to live in fear,” east valley resident, Melinda Vincent shared.

The county released numbers in its recent point-in-time homeless count with nearly 8,000 people reported homeless that’s a 20% increase from last year. With the majority of individuals on the streets due to mental health challenges and substance abuse.

Melinda Vincent who wants change said if the property owners of the vacant lot won’t take action, then the county needs to step in.

“I feel the people who own that property need to be held accountable. If they can’t secure the property well enough to keep the homeless out, then they should be paying for the clean-up and be fined,” Vincent shared.

County Commissioner Tick Segerblom is aware of the problem and stated that the county is doing its best to get a handle on the influx, with more resources in the works.

“We can take care of it, but it’s a long-term process. There was a bill passed last session to create a campus for people with mental illnesses and it’s currently being worked on,” County Commissioner Tick Segerblom shared.

Clark County told 8 News Now that they are in talks with the property owner about the amount of trash and illegal activity on the lot. They plan to clean it up soon.

Currently, Clark County has one navigation center for those experiencing homelessness with plans of opening more in the valley within the next year in addition to adding a center in Henderson and North Las Vegas.

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