LAS VEGAS (FOX5) —The city of Las Vegas is piloting a new strategy to help the homeless get off the streets, bringing along new experts to help the unhoused during in-person outreach.
FOX5 went along with the city’s MORE team to see the pilot program in action: social workers and outreach workers head to encampments daily to offer resources, social services and shelter. For a span of 18 to 24 months, the outreach team brings along an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) and a clinician, which may be a mental health counselor or drug and alcohol counselor.
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The goal, according to the city’s team: connect the unhoused to the right resources and specific resources needed, including medical care or drug rehabilitation.
In 2025, the MORE team was dispatched more than 11,000 times to offer services to unhoused people in need; more than 5,000 people accepted services, including shelter.
“We’re able to identify what the needs are maybe a little bit more clearly than if we’re just running into someone and referring them to a shelter,” said Director of Neighborhood Services Arcelia Barajas.
“Our AEMT might say they need some [medical] care. We’d like to have qualified mental health professionals so folks that just have a little bit extra training to deal with some of the challenges we face with our unsheltered homeless,” she said.
“The goal really is to get them to the place they need to be first, but then to follow them through: connect them to that next step as they go through that journey to healing, so that they’re not getting kind of dropped or we don’t drop the ball. They don’t fall through the cracks as they’re getting referred to the next system,” Barajas said.
During outreach, numerous people on the street opened up to the AEMT: they expressed concerns with medical ailments and wanted to see a doctor.
“With this population, there’s always going to be inherent healthcare risks. Seeking immediate healthcare providers is always going to be one of the first steps to helping people get off the streets,” said AEMT Nicholas Hardie.
At the end of the pilot program, city officials will assess the data and the effectiveness of the outreach.
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