Mental health systems crucial in fight to end youth homelessness in Nevada

Camyluv Hervey has long seen herself as a singer-songwriter. But at Friday’s Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth Summit, she was able to show off how her R&B songs brought her joy and helped her heal from the difficult years after her mother’s death and the subsequent custody battles that left her without a home.

“My mom always used to ask me, what did I want to be? I’d always answer a singer and a dancer,” Hervey, 19, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal after her performance. “Ever since then I’d start yelling and singing. I’ve always been a singer. It’s helped me, it helps me remember her because she also loved music.”

The eighth annual conference was held at Las Vegas City Hall and was hosted by the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth and Las Vegas Sands.

While most of the summit highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of support available to homeless youth in the Silver State, a key part of the day’s events were Hervey’s songs and a fashion show of outfits created by other NPHY youth. Hervey said she recorded the songs in NPHY’s studio after encouragement from a staffer. She said she appreciated the life skills classes and artistic expression opportunities she’s gotten through NPHY.

“Even though I lost a lot of hope, they have really helped me,” she said. “I did not know what was going to happen to me — it’s scary when you’re young and finding out what you want to do in life. Here comes NPHY helping you with those steps.”

The summit featured presentations and panel discussions outlining the current state of youth homelessness and the systems in place to prevent it. Advocates then form an action plan based on the conversations and lessons discussed at the all-day event on Friday.

It was the second time the summit expanded its mission statewide, featuring speakers from Northern Nevada, rural Nevada and tribal communities.

Youth homelessness is up

On an average night in Southern Nevada, there are 444 unaccompanied young people experiencing “literal homelessness, meaning they’re living on the streets,” Melissa Jacobowitz, chief of development and strategy for Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, said during the summit. It’s a 34 percent increase from 2023, according to data from a point-in-time census gauging homelessness in Southern Nevada.

“They’re staying in shelters or temporary housing tailored to people experiencing homelessness,” she continued. “That doesn’t include our couch surfers, our young people bouncing from friend’s house to friend’s house, staying in weekly motels or doubling up.”

Advocates and state leaders explored improvements to the social safety net services offered to unhoused youth and areas that could still improve. They emphasized solutions that come from listening to the youth themselves. For example, Erica Mosca, a Democratic assemblywoman from Las Vegas, said the Legislature approved a measure that prevented the Nevada System of Higher Education from holding a student’s transcripts if they owe a fee or outstanding loan.

“That is something that unless you’ve grown up low income or you’re first gen, you have no idea that that’s an issue, because once your transcript is held, you cannot transfer or you can’t get a job,” Mosca said.

Areas that need improvement

Others pointed out areas for improvement. Las Vegas Councilman Brian Knudsen said personal experience showed him the lack of mental health services for youth in Nevada.

He attributed it to Medicaid reimbursement rights that were too complicated and a dearth of mental health professionals.

“This is my pitch to my Legislature to say we need to work quickly to develop a workforce and a system at the same time to make sure that we can mitigate some of the challenges we’re seeing with all youth across the board,” Knudsen said.

Arash Ghafoori, CEO of Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, said the movement to end youth homelessness requires all types of community partners to rally together around a “North Star.”

“It’s a comprehensive solution,” Ghafoori said. “It’s not something that can be done overnight. It requires all kinds of different systems to work together, all kinds of changes to happen on the ground in terms of how services are delivered and urgent needs are met, but also how systemic solutions like policy changes need to also happen.”

The Review-Journal is owned by the Adelson family, including Dr. Miriam Adelson, majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands Corp., and Las Vegas Sands President and COO Patrick Dumont.

Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.