LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Four months ago, Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley touted city efforts to reverse a homeless trend. Her newfound strategy relies on contracted EMTs, counselors, and specialists to conduct routine outreach. Is it working?
Las Vegas city officials said around 70 unhoused individuals have made the transition to a treatment facility in four months since the launch of Downtown Neon, a pilot program within an existing city effort.
>>Download the 8 News Now Vegas streaming app
“This was a program that the mayor was selected to participate in among many other mayors around the world,” Arcelia Barajas, Las Vegas Director of Neighborhood Services, said.
Barajas said the idea for the team was hatched after Berkley’s participation in a Bloomberg initiative which focused on strategies for urban, unsheltered populations…