Nevada officials will embark next month on a key step toward constructing a massive campus that will provide transitional housing and other supportive services to the growing number of Southern Nevadans experiencing homelessness.

On Jan. 10, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development is expected to select a nonprofit to oversee the development of the 20-acre facility aimed at providing people a pathway to permanent housing.

The initiative began in the final days of the 2023 legislative session with the passage of AB528, an emergency bill that allocated $100 million in funds for the project, released only if another $100 million (expected to be led by the tourism industry alongside other community groups) is dedicated to the project. 

Although there was minimal explanation for gaming’s involvement during the bill’s hearing, Wynn Resorts Executive Vice President Ellen Whittemore discussed the gaming industry’s interest in the campus in a forum aired by KNPR and reported on by the Nevada Current before the bill was announced.

Whittemore said that casinos had begun noticing less favorable reviews, citing homelessness near their properties, and worked with local officials on ways to address the issue, including a county ordinance that offers reduced sentences to individuals who do not come near the Strip. 

However, she said these efforts “did nothing to help the people that were creating the problem on the Strip.”

Virginia Valentine, the president of the Nevada Resort Association, said in an interview that the resort industry’s involvement in the project stemmed from a “recognition that there's a larger problem in this community, and that [the industry] can put some resources into this issue.”

“We don't want to see [Southern Nevada] be one of those communities that looks like places where the unsheltered population ha[s] not been addressed,” Valentine said.

A nonprofit organization called the “Campus for Hope Foundation” is likely to win the bid — the organization was registered earlier this year and is led by a group of top Strip casino executives, including Wynn Resorts CEO Craig Billings. 

But the first public update to state lawmakers on the project attracted pushback from state lawmakers, who complained during an interim committee meeting about the project’s likely site, which would require demolition of a home for girls with severe autism. 

It comes at a critical time for Southern Nevada.

This year, Clark County officials found that more than 7,900 people in the region were homeless on Jan. 25, a 20 percent increase from the year before, though those are likely undercounts, according to the group that conducted the survey.

Read below to learn more about the project:

What is the project?

The project is modeled after Haven for Hope in San Antonio, where people experiencing homelessness can receive shelter and skill development along with counseling with an “emphasis toward addressing the root causes of homelessness.” 

The campus in Las Vegas — called the Campus for Hope — is intended to operate as a hub-and-spoke model that would include a central campus “hub” offering transitional housing and mental health and professional development services. Resources spread across Southern Nevada — the “spokes” — would connect back to the main campus.

Specifics about the services provided at the campus remain unclear because the nonprofit overseeing the project has yet to be chosen. However, when the legislation was unveiled, Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas) said it would build upon existing services and involve local nonprofits to address the root causes of homelessness. 

All services would be opt-in and designed to meet people where they are, bill presenters said.

Valentine said the campus may not address the full spectrum of needs of Southern Nevada’s unsheltered population but rather is designed to offer transitional services. 

“The overarching goal is, let's get people somewhere between unhoused and that next step to permanent housing,” Valentine said.

There are several existing programs to support homeless people. In Downtown Las Vegas, the Courtyard Homeless Resource Center offers people a place to sleep and access to medical, housing and employment services — but the services offered at the Campus for Hope are expected to be more expansive.

A City of Las Vegas official told lawmakers at a hearing on AB528 that the Courtyard was “at capacity,” and that the city would welcome an approach to services to span across the Las Vegas Valley, The Nevada Current reported at the time.

What still needs to happen?

AB528 outlined a five-year development timeline. If obligations are not fulfilled or the project fails in some way, the bill contains a clawback provision ensuring the state is repaid.

After the nonprofit is selected in January, the next key step will likely be choosing a location — expected to be at 6161 W. Charleston Boulevard, according to testimony at an interim legislative meeting held last week — though the exact timeline is not known yet.

Meanwhile, local municipalities are supposed to sign a shared services agreement to ensure all Southern Nevadans can access the campus. The agreement requires municipalities to contribute to a $15 million annual pool of money for operational costs, proportional to population size — an amount that would be matched from the state.

However, the cities of Henderson and Las Vegas have yet to sign the agreement. Jace Radke, a City of Las Vegas spokesperson, said the city “is hoping to consider the Campus for Hope funding in early 2025, potentially in January.” A Henderson city spokesperson did not respond to a request for more information about when city officials may sign the agreement.

Clark County and North Las Vegas officials have signed the agreement.

Who supports it?

AB528 passed with the support of all but three legislators: Assemblyman Rich DeLong (R-Reno) and Sens. Ira Hansen (R-Sparks) and Robin Titus (R-Wellington). It was a joint effort spearheaded by Democratic legislative leaders, Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and gaming industry leaders, who testified in favor of the measure during the legislative session.

Maurice Page, the executive director of the Nevada Housing Coalition, a policy organization focused on affordable housing solutions, said the project is a positive step to address homelessness in Southern Nevada.

“Having another organization or another project that focuses in on allowing folks to have a comfortable place to call home, have a roof over their head, to be able to sustain their self and their family is always going to be a good thing,” Page said.

However, Page acknowledged that his preferred way to address homelessness is providing permanent supportive housing, a model that offers affordable housing alongside support services, which he said is more cost effective than the transitional housing envisioned for Campus for Hope.

“With permanent supportive housing, you have a longer time frame for individuals to get the necessary assistance that they need,” Page said. 

San Antonio’s Haven for Hope has reported more than 90 percent of clients remained housed one year after exiting the campus into permanent housing.

Why are legislators upset?

A meeting last week of the Interim Finance Committee — a state panel that makes finance decisions when the Legislature is not in session — grew contentious over the Campus for Hope project.

It began when state officials asked the committee to rescind about $4 million in previously approved coronavirus relief funding designated for renovating a building on West Charleston Boulevard that houses girls with autism, because they tentatively plan to demolish that building and use the space for Campus for Hope.

Legislators ultimately rejected the request, and said they will work with the governor’s office to figure out a solution before the end of this year, which is the deadline to de-obligate pandemic relief funds.

“That was so important for not only just a vulnerable population with young girls that are autistic,” Sen. Rochelle Nguyen (D-Las Vegas) said. “These aren't just children that have challenges. This is our highest-risk, highest-needs individuals, and we still haven’t found a solution for them.”

Lawmakers were also concerned about the location of the campus on West Charleston Boulevard, which is close to the College of Southern Nevada and Opportunity Village, which serves people with disabilities.

“I have not had anybody reach out to me,” said Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop (D-Las Vegas), whose district border is less than 2 miles from the location. 

Jack Robb, the chief innovation officer in the governor’s office, said he only recently joined the project, and he apologized that lawmakers were being left out of these conversations.

He said the site was desirable in part because an existing mental health drop-in center there is already known as a place to find care among people experiencing homelessness.

What are other regions doing?

In 2021, officials in Northern Nevada opened the Cares Campus, a location with a resource center, emergency shelter and safe campground for people experiencing homelessness. 

A regional effort between the City of Sparks, City of Reno and Washoe County, the campus’ creation was supported by about $12 million in federal COVID relief aid and $6 million in private donations. In total, the campus cost about $78 million.

“What we learned is it’s not just about building it, it’s about staffing,” Washoe County Commission Chair Alexis Hill, a Democrat, said in an interview. “It's continually collaborating and making compromises with your partners, and ensuring that they know what you're up to.”

Since the project was established, Hill said the county has reduced the rate of unsheltered homelessness by about 40 percent, though the county’s number of overall people experiencing homelessness continues to rise. Despite eliciting some positive headlines about Reno’s decrease in unsheltered homelessness and better centralizing services, the campus has not solved the issue — 23 people have died at the campus since it opened in 2021, and service request calls for people experiencing homelessness within Reno have continued to rise. 

Hill said the county is having the campus audited by an organization that evaluates human services programs to hold themselves accountable. 

“I take [that criticism and need for changes] seriously, but I also feel like you've got to do something,” Hill said.