Homelessness rates in Southern Nevada up 36% over past two years

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The number of people facing homelessness in Southern Nevada continues to grow.

On Wednesday, Clark County released the results of their annual census, which was carried out by volunteers on Jan. 25, 2024.

On any given night, 7,906 people in Clark County are experiencing homelessness. That’s a 20% jump compared to 2023 and a 36% jump compared to 2022.

According to county data, the most impacted groups are women, African Americans, and those between 35 and 44 years old.

Clark County

County officials add that while individuals experiencing homelessness currently represent less than 1% of the overall population, the number of people and proportion relative to the total population have been rising.

Those trends “indicate a potential shift towards increased homelessness” and allow county officials to plan for the future, including putting proactive measures in place like adding additional shelter locations and adding affordable housing and permanent supportive housing programs.

How do we compare to other cities?

When looking at national data, Las Vegas is number 11 when it comes to the largest population of those experiencing homelessness on a single night.

(Note: Las Vegas numbers include those people in shelters as well as people on the street. Other major cities ranked lower on the list below only provided shelter-only counts. Based on shelter-only rates, Las Vegas would rank in the 20 to 25 range.)

Clark County

What is causing homeless rates to go up in Southern Nevada?

One of the biggest factors in the rise of homeless rates is housing affordability and income.

For example, between 2021 and 2022, median household prices surged by over 35%, according to Clark County. Officials add that income did increase but was “comparatively slower, growing at approximately half the rate of the surge in median household prices and Fair Market Rents.”

That tracks with data from the Princeton University Eviction Lab, which tracks housing and rent costs across the country.

Over the past year, there have been 51,825 eviction filings in Las Vegas, which is up 42%, compared to an average year before the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking closer, there have been 4,983 eviction filings in just the last month, which is up 63%, compared to an average year before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many of those evictions are in the central or eastern part of the valley.

Princeton researchers say the data in Clark County is likely an undercount because those records “are only available with a delay”.

Princeton University Eviction Lab

Princeton University Eviction Lab

What are valley officials doing to help those experiencing homelessness?

In Clark County, there are 9,013 total beds for people experiencing homelessness. That number includes emergency shelters, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, other than permanent housing, and rapid rehousing.

According to the 2024 census data, only 7,635 of those beds were used on any given night, or about 85%

Clark County has been looking for ways to add beds and last year, they opened the Clark County Navigation Center. A former Motel 6 was converted into temporary housing for up to 70 people. The Vintage Safari Motel was also converted into transitional housing.

WATCH: Vacant motel transformed into Betterment Community for homeless populations in Las Vegas

Vacant Las Vegas motel transforms into shelter for homeless Nevadans

In response to the 2023 homeless census, Clark County also added non-congregate shelter beds to help individuals find safer and more suitable accommodations and get more people off the street.

In May, Clark County commissioners approved over $66 million in funds to go towards constructing and rehabilitating affordable housing units for low to extremely low-income residents. That round of funding is going to nine projects, which will create 1,273 units.

The City of Las Vegas also has the Courtyard Homeless Resource Center, which has case managers to help people navigate the resources they need to get off the streets. That includes a computer lab, medical care, laundry room, showers, bathrooms, and a kennel for people’s animals.

The Courtyard also has a free Arrow shuttle that transports people to service providers such as the DMV, Nevada Job Connect, and the Goodwill Career Center.

Las Vegas also has a Multi-agency Outreach Resource Engagement, or MORE, team. They provide mobile intervention and outreach services to homeless individuals that live in encampments, the street, flood control tunnels, and outlying uninhabited areas around Las Vegas.

You can learn more about those resources here.

WATCH: Learn more about the MORE Team and the work they do in Las Vegas

13 Investigates: What’s being done to address homelessness in the Las Vegas Valley?