Homelessness is a problem in Las Vegas. As of 2024 it was estimated that 7,906 people that reside in Las Vegas don’t have a home, as home prices and rent prices increase the number will continue to grow. To fix that, Las Vegas is building The Campus of Hope. The goal of building this is to give shelter to homeless people and possibly eliminate homelessness in the city.
The Campus of Hope is not the first idea to help lower the numbers of homelessness. Downtown there is the Courtyard Homeless Resource Center, but the number of homeless has gotten too high for places to support everyone.
While this sounds like a great idea, the city is facing major pushback from locals in the area it is going to be built. The current planned area of construction is 20 acres of land off of Charleston and Jones boulevards and is close to nearby residential areas and schools.
Here are the pros and cons of The Campus of Hope.
PROS
A similar program in San Antonio (Close To Home) reduced homelessness in San Antonio by 25%.
Reducing homelessness will overall increase the safety of living and walking in Vegas.
People experiencing homelessness will gain access to food, shelter, and mental health services including drug and alcohol counseling.
It will help people experiencing homelessness get back on their feet more effectively.
Not everyone experiencing homelessness will be in North Las Vegas to be by the current facilities for food and shelter so the residential area will see a decrease in homelessness
Areas where there are already places to help people experiencing homelessness will see less pollution and become somewhat more safe
CONS
The proposed location is in close vicinity to multiple schools like Bonanza high School, Pinecrest Academy Springs, and Rose Warren Elementary. This can decrease the safety of said schools if lots of homeless people migrate to the Campus of Hope.
The nearby residential areas will see an increase of the homeless population as they try to be around the campus, which can decrease the value of the houses in those residential areas.
Some people experiencing homelessness use parks as places they reside and if they have a problem with drugs or alcohol can be dangerous to kids.
People experiencing homelessness don’t have anywhere to throw their trash aways so they litter making the proposed area more polluted.
Las Vegas needs a place for people experiencing homelessness to get shelter and food to get back on their feet. It will be very good for people experiencing homelessness to get a second chance. But there needs to be a new location for the facility where the surrounding area is less affected
