$200M public-private partnership aimed at helping Las Vegas homeless
A $200 million public-private partnership intended to help reduce homelessness in Southern Nevada will move forward, Gov. Joe Lombardo said Wednesday.
The Governor’s Office of Economic Development approved the Campus for Hope Foundation, Lombardo said in his State of the State address. The application approval gives the nonprofit — supported by members of the resort industry — the ability to move forward with building a transitional housing complex in Las Vegas with $100 million of state funding.
“By bringing together the state, local governments and business community partners, the Campus for Hope exemplifies Nevada’s commitment to innovative results-driven solutions,” Lombardo said in his speech. “More than just a building, the campus represents the promise of a better future.”
A 2023 law created the matching funds program for the construction of a multi-service housing facility for individuals and families experiencing homelessness or those at risk. Clark County saw a 20 percent increase in people experiencing homelessness from 2023 to 2024, according to a point-in-time count conducted in January 2024.
Nevada Resort Association President Virginia Valentine said the industry has spent the last year and a half raising the $100 million needed for the matching requirements. Industry partners wanted a concerted effort to address the increasing homeless population, she said.
“With the really big increase in the homeless population in the recent county census data on homelessness, you can see this is continuing to be a problem,” Valentine said. “This is something that the resorts really wanted to get engaged in.”
Campus for Hope is expected to be built out as a “hub-and-spoke” model, designed similarly to the Haven for Hope campus in San Antonio, Texas. The 26-acre site — planned on a portion of the current Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services campus at Charleston and Jones boulevards — will host transitional housing and supportive services run by other nonprofit partners.
“The State of Nevada thoughtfully planned the relocation of all the services currently offered on this 26-acre parcel,” Jack Robb, chief innovation officer for the state of Nevada, said in a news release. “We ensured we found enhanced locations for these services in adjacent buildings. Campus for Hope is a next-generation concept for solving the underlying causes of homelessness and will help homeless people in Southern Nevada get their feet on the ground.”
Campus for Hope is expected to remove existing buildings before breaking ground on the housing project. The targeted opening year is 2027, Valentine said.
The transitional housing is expected to last four to six months for people who will be referred through other nonprofit partners or supportive services. Officials with the project said they have not yet determined its capacity, because the project is still in the design phase.
Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.
