Homelessness in Clark County Increases 20 Percent in One Year, 47 Percent in Three Years

Clark County, in conjunction with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), has released their 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Homelessness Count report (see below) which reveals that the number of people experiencing homelessness increased by 20 percent in one year and 47 percent in three years.

According to the report, 7,906 people experiencing homelessness were counted on a single night in January 2024. The number of people experiencing homelessness who are sheltered increased from 3,569 in 2023 to 4,115 in 2024. The number of unsheltered individuals increased by seven percent, from 3,912 people in 2023 to 4,202 in 2024. The annual survey is conducted on a single day in the last ten days in January.

HUD mandates that communities conduct a biennial count of individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. This nationwide initiative, known as the Point-in-Time (PIT) count, is the primary census-based method for quantifying both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness in the United States.

Despite the increase in homelessness, Clark County reports that the sheltered count has increased:

The recent increase in the sheltered count is likely due in part to the expansion of shelter access for individuals experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness and a change in our counting methodology. Since the opening of non-congregate shelters in Clark County, more people can access safe and stable housing, which can help to break the cycle of homelessness.

Clark County’s strategic expansion of shelter resources have yielded positive results and have improved our ability to count individuals experiencing homelessness, with a 62 percent increase in non-congregate shelter beds and expanded access to emergency shelters. This surge in capacity has led to a significant rise in the number of sheltered individuals, providing a beacon of hope for those experiencing homelessness.

The initiatives outlined by Clark County to aid in “reducing homelessness” include:

Rapid Rehousing: Clark County has 40 Rapid Rehousing (RRH) programs throughout the community, representing 30.77 percent of the projects for the unhoused. The RRH programs provide shelter in partnerships with community entities and deliver wraparound services to help prevent future homelessness.

Emergency and Non-congregate Shelters: Clark County has committed to continue to provide services in the form of congregate and non-congregate shelters for the most vulnerable that provide short-term housing for families and individual households with access to long-term housing. The County has spent $23 million on six non-congregate shelters.

Navigation Center: The County has implemented a non-congregate emergency housing and navigation center to connect homeless adults without children to housing, income, public benefits, physical, mental, and behavioral health services and more, to help individuals reach a goal of self-sufficiency. The  model is based on individualized case management intended to address the root causes of homelessness.

Permanent Supportive Housing: On April 5, 2022, Welcome Home, Clark County’s Community Housing Fund (CHF) was created to address the urgent housing need for low-income residents – families, seniors, and those who are employed, but unable to find affordable housing. The County has approved over $170 million for affordable housing units for low to extremely low-income residents in Southern Nevada. The approved funding has been used to support the construction and rehabilitation of a total of 3,704 units dedicated to supporting low-income families and seniors in the region.

According to the data, Las Vegas ranks 11th in the nation for homelessness out of the 50 most populous cities in the nation, representing two percent of the homeless population in the United States. In comparison, New York City and Los Angeles account for over 50 percent of the homeless population in the US. Of the total population, a reported 11 percent of the adult population have a serious mental illness and 9 percent have a substance abuse disorder.

In 2019, The City of Las Vegas approved a law that made sitting, resting or lodging on sidewalks a misdemeanor if shelter space is not available. The City of Henderson adopted an ordinance in 2023 that prohibited sleeping outdoors, sleeping in tents or cooking outdoors.

In June 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Grant’s Pass decision provided local government with the greater ability to enact and enforce criminal penalties for public camping or sleeping, even in localities where there is limited local shelter space. Following the ruling, the Clark County Board of Commissioners, led by Democratic-Socialist Tick Segerblom, may consider an ordinance that prohibits camping in order to correspond with the county’s municipalities.

“This year’s Point-in-Time count shows that our efforts to expand shelter options are having a tangible impact,” said Deputy County Manager Abigail Frierson. “While the number of individuals living unsheltered remains high and we continue to work to secure permanent, stable housing, it is encouraging to see that we are steadily moving residents off the streets and into safer environments.”