LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The housing crisis is nothing new for Clark County.
Last week, FOX5 reported on many rental units left empty after residents were evicted which allows squatters to make their way in.
The harsh reality is that more people struggle to keep a roof over their heads.
There are hundreds of empty rental units throughout the valley.
Those units were once someone’s home, safe place and peace. That peace has been taken away from someone who has been evicted.
“We still see the same case flow it is pretty demoralizing how many people get evicted on a daily bases,” Harrison Bohn a consumer rights attorney with the Legal Aid Center of Nevada said.
Bohn tells FOX5 there is an average of 70 eviction cases going through eviction court daily and 90 percent of those cases are granted eviction.
“I am in court three to four times a week helping different people, helping evictions get more time,” Bohn said. “We had many people that come in that had a life altering event, whether they lost their job they went to the hospital for a week, car problems once they fall behind they cant catch up.’
FOX5 received the latest eviction numbers from Clark County. It showed us that between Las Vegas and Henderson in 2023 there were 30,230 evictions.
So far in 2024, between those two jurisdictions there have been 5,681 evictions.
Bohn said it does not look like numbers are getting better and blames not enough affordable housing.
“There is just not enough low-cost units here to supply the demand that is needed, really that’s just a vicious cycle of people having to pay too much for rent,” Bohn said.
However, there is a sliver of hope as Bohn said the county is working with families to get assistance with their rental applications.
“It is still an uphill battle,” Bohn said.
Bohn said once someone gets an eviction notice, respond to it right away with the court.
The best way to do that is going to the Civil Help Law Center that is located at the regional justice center.
FOX5 also reached out to Catholic Charities of Nevada, they tell us their men’s emergency night shelter stays consistently full and their low-income St. Vincent apartments are also full of a waiting list.
They also tell FOX5 their Housing Navigation Center consistently sees up to 300 people in need a month.
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