The Issue of Homelessness in Nevada

by Leanna Lehman -- Tuesday, March 26th is Housing and Homeless Awareness Day at the State Legislature in Carson City and will run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Clark County now has the third-highest homeless population in the country. Further, as reported by The Nevada Homeless Alliance, Clark County also has the highest population of unsheltered and unaccompanied youth in the nation. But homelessness isn’t just a concern in urban areas. Rural Nevada is also seeing the homeless population increase. In recent years The State of Nevada has recognized the significant problems that play a role in adult and youth homelessness. While some experts assert that about 25% of the homeless choose to be so by choice (chronically homeless). Such is not the case so for the remaining 75%. In 2013, former Governor Sandoval created The Nevada Interagency Council on Homelessness (Council). The primary purpose of the Council was to develop a statewide strategic plan to end homelessness. In order to receive the available $671,000 in annual federal funds, Nevada must have an Interagency Council on Homelessness. The Council is set to expire in 2020, at which those funding dollars would be forfeited if not used. The current legislative session will decide this week whether or not to establish The Council as a statute (AB174) which would continue the State’s current work of addressing the multilayered aspects of homelessness. Another bill on the legislative floor this week is SB103, The Nevada Affordable Housing Tax Credit Program. SB103 is a four-year pilot program that will authorize up to $40 million in tax credits to encourage the development and preservation of low-income residential housing projects throughout the state. If passed, the program will be combined with federal and state affordable housing programs and participating require investors to complete their development within the 4-year time-frame. Both urban and rural areas within the state are currently experiencing a lack of low-income housing and affordable rental properties. Every year rural Nevada counties, under the purview of HUD and state mandates, compile the Point in Time Report (PIT), which is a snapshot of the homeless situation in the state on a given day. The 2018 report estimates that 12% of the population resides in rural counties and are considered part of RNCoC, Rural Nevada Continuum of Care, a program designed to address the problems of homelessness with local and federal agencies. According to the 2018 PIT Report, rural Nevada faces some unique factors as many homeless populations are spread out in remote areas. Many homeless are “unseen” and strategies that work in urban areas aren’t effective in Nevada with its unique geography and communication dead zones. Additionally, rural communities often lack the funding and infrastructure to address homelessness and its underlying causes. With shelters a rarity outside urban areas and each county’s unique demographics, it’s difficult to ascertain an accurate number of homeless families and individuals. The State estimates that current counts reflect only about 75% of the total homeless population residing in Nevada. Of the 224 individuals assessed, which were only homeless persons that were surveyed on the day the count was conducted, most of them were adult males over the age of 24, of which nine were veterans. Approximately 49 were reported to be chronically homeless. The count includes unsheltered and sheltered individuals. Sheltered homeless include those living in motels and those temporarily housed with family or friends (doubling-up). Data from 2018 showed that about 28% of those counted were experiencing homelessness for the first time with the top reasons for their situation was joblessness and insufficient income. Within the next month, the 2019 PIT Report will be released with an expectation that the numbers have increased in the last year. Many factors play a contributing role in homelessness, including job loss, substance abuse, domestic violence, and increasing housing costs. The two items before the legislature this week are designed to address these factors and put an end the affordable housing crisis and escalating homelessness. To register for the event and/or speak up on the issue of homelessness in Nevada, visit www.actionn.org/March26   Support local, independent news – contribute to The Fallon Post, your non-profit (501c3) online news source for all things Fallon. Never miss the local news -- read more on The Fallon Post home page.