Brady PieperA new public-private partnership (P3) in Las Vegas will break ground on a facility to address homelessness in southern Nevada, advancing a broader national shift to provide all-inclusive services to the unhoused across the country.
The Campus for Hope is a proposed all-in-one housing facility that will not only address the root causes of homelessness in Las Vegas but also set personalized goals for tenants to achieve a more prosperous future for all. Developed under a P3 model, the project seeks to revolutionize support for the unhoused and reduce homelessness in Nevada’s disadvantaged communities.
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The estimated $200 million project will benefit from approximately $100 million in support from the Nevada legislature, who will also supplement $15 million annually for the campus’ operations. In addition to state funding, Las Vegas resort stakeholders will promise a contribution of around $100 million to kickstart the proposed facility.
The location for the 26-acre facility will be the existing Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services Center near Jones Boulevard and Charleston Boulevard in Las Vegas.
Since the design is not final, some project work may call for the destruction of some 1960s-era buildings to make room for the new campus.
The facility and its services will build upon lessons learned from other homelessness reduction efforts around the country to proactively address the root of homelessness. With up to 900 residential beds, the proposed facility will house people for up to six months before transitioning tenants to supportive housing programs, offering a step-by-step pathway for unhoused individuals to access permanent facilities.
Emphasizing a collaborative and thorough approach to homelessness reduction, Campus for Hope will also present a variety of individualized solutions for tenants through the facility’s all-in-one services, including:
- Housing: Case management, housing placement and assistance, veterans’ services, legal aid and advocacy and outreach.
- Family Support: Mental health and substance abuse services, life skills programs, basic clothing and necessities, childcare and family services and medical, dental and vision care.
- Employment: Employment readiness programs, educational programs and community integration and support.
Project officials anticipate that Campus for Hope will provide a solution to a long-standing problem in southern Nevada, operating as an all-inclusive resource to assist vulnerable populations and break habitual cycles that lead to homelessness.
While the project is currently in the design stage, procurement and construction activities could begin soon as the campus is anticipated to be operational by 2027. Additional information on the initiative can be found on Campus for Hope’s dedicated webpage.
Campus for Hope may take years to show results, but the initiative draws inspiration from several existing homelessness programs across the country, including a transformational campus in San Antonio and a coalition in Central Florida that offer all-inclusive services
Sharing similar purposes as Campus for Hope, the Haven for Hope facility in San Antonio is a 22-acre campus that offers services and housing to South Texas’ most vulnerable. In operation for over 15 years, the homelessness program has been praised for its ability to treat, service and house a diverse range of individuals and unique sets of challenges.
San Antonio’s facility, developed in partnership with several public and private sponsors, emphases the importance of P3s and private investment when it comes to funding homelessness facilities across the country.
The Haven for Hope campus supports unhoused people from a variety of backgrounds, including those who have lost jobs, can’t afford medical bills, lost family members and many more. Used as a model for homelessness assistance nationwide, the facility is designed to connect unhoused individuals to services that are administratively disconnected or generally not located within a single location or campus.
Collaborative approaches to homelessness are not a new concept, but one that is building steam in cities across the country. Las Vegas will implement aspects of a homeless coalition in Florida to reinforce their commitment to engaging unhoused individuals where they are at.
The Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida (CHCF) is a nearly 40-year-old residential center that offers short-term housing, emergency services and diversion strategies to the homeless and housed.
The campus, located in downtown Orlando, hosts four facilities that guide individuals through the homelessness and housing placement process. The campus consists of an intake center to operate as a starting point for those seeking help, a center for women and families, a men’s service center and housing apartments designed to bridge the gap for homeless families awaiting affordable housing rental units.
As each facility was designed to address additional populations of vulnerable and/or unhoused individuals, CHCF has progressively expanded services to reach as many underserved and disadvantaged communities as possible.
Together, the three facilities, located in underserved communities nationwide, will enhance local efforts to combat rising homelessness rates by connecting people experiencing homelessness to essential services and housing programs.
Las Vegas’s proposed Campus for Hope will build on these efforts, looking to transform the lives of unhoused individuals and families in Southern Nevada, with plans to begin making an impact as early as 2027.
Photo courtesy Visitor7, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
