Vegas Stronger says it's now helping 50 to 60 new people get off the streets each week and connected with behavioral health treatment.
The organization credits partnerships with Clark County, Wynn Las Vegas, The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, and other community supporters for helping expand its reach.
But their goal isn't to get people off the streets for just one night. It's getting them well enough to stay off the streets.
More Than a Place to Sleep
Vegas Stronger focuses heavily on problems that often go hand-in-hand with homelessness, including addiction and mental illness.
The organization provides treatment for substance use and mental health disorders while connecting clients with help involving housing, transportation, food, and other basic needs.
The long-term goal is independence.
“This work is only possible through strong community partnerships and a shared belief that homelessness, mental illness, and addiction are not hopeless problems,” co-founder and CEO David Marlon wrote in a recent update.
The organization's approach is to help people move “from the streets to treatment, recovery, and independence; one person at a time.”
Help From Someone Who's Been There
Sometimes the best people to help someone out of a dark place are ones who know firsthand how hard it can be to do.
Vegas Stronger recently highlighted case manager Chris Morris, who has his own history with homelessness and addiction.
Morris has been clean and sober since May 2023 and has worked with Vegas Stronger for about 18 months. He's also in his first year of college studying to become a social worker.
His past gives him something that can't be taught in a classroom: He understands what it feels like to need help.
Vegas Stronger says that experience allows Morris to connect with clients as they work through treatment, housing, and other services.
Taking Help to the Streets
Vegas Stronger isn't waiting for everyone who needs help to walk in and find it on their own.
The Vegas heat in August isn't just uncomfortable. It's dangerous, especially for those without a real escape from it.
Vegas Stronger's outreach teams regularly head into the Las Vegas heat to offer people a path into treatment.
The organization also distributes what it calls “Golden Tickets” that people can give to homeless people they encounter. The tickets provide information about Vegas Stronger's services.
“The path out of homelessness is not free stuff,” Marlon wrote. “It's getting well and self supporting through places like Vegas Stronger!”
Las Vegas Community Steps Up
Local businesses, organizations, and residents have stepped up to help. Vegas Stronger has thanked community partners for donating money, hosting events, collecting supplies, and finding other ways to support its work.
Vegas Stronger says one of the best ways to help is for local businesses, clubs, churches, and other groups to organize and participate in donation drives. Items currently in high demand include bottled water, backpacks, hygiene products, new underwear, and socks.
The nonprofit is also offering Narcan training during Overdose Awareness Month, and encouraging people struggling with addiction to seek treatment.
Vegas Stronger will mark its 12th anniversary on September 17 with a luncheon and open house at its headquarters.
We all know homelessness can't be solved overnight. But for the person sleeping on a Las Vegas sidewalk today, getting the right help could mean not being there tomorrow.
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