A train of up-and-coming Democratic stars stopped by the Nevada delegation’s breakfasts in Chicago this week to address the Silver State delegates whose influence will be paramount come the next competitive Democratic presidential primary.

On Thursday at 10 a.m., Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada will open the gate to its brand new dining pavilion and welcome hundreds of Nevada’s homeless people to check their belongings for safekeeping, wash their hands, and sit down to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal.

The City of Las Vegas and Clark County announced in a joint press conference Monday, that the shelter, designed for members of Las Vegas' homeless population exposed to the coronavirus, will open at 6 p.m. The new facility consists of tents in the Cashman Complex parking lot outfitted with heating, Wi-Fi and other amenities and is able to house up to 500 people.

The safety dorm originally opened five years ago to serve transgender individuals but has since expanded to house anyone who identifies as a part of the LGBTQ+ community and, because of that, does not feel safe in other dorms or shelters. Right now, it is the only shelter facility in Clark County with an exclusive focus on LGBTQ+ housing needs.

The Point-in-Time Count is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) every two years, to count the number of people experiencing homelessness who are unsheltered, in emergency shelters, or in transitional or supportive housing to determine funding for that locality. The count is conducted on a single night to avoid duplicate counts. In Southern Nevada more than 5,500 homeless people were counted in the 2019 count.

The City of Las Vegas’ Department of Public Safety has set a goal to reduce its annual intake of homeless inmates by more than 1,000, or 20 percent over the next three years, and to provide follow-up support after people are released from jail.