LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Neighbors in the East Las Vegas Valley are asking for solutions to homeless camps now creeping into their neighborhoods, while a local leader said the county is exploring a last resort: warning the homeless to leave, and if they do not, then possibly arresting them.
Neighbors tell FOX5, with limited access to the bridges and trails, some of the homeless end up simply moving down the street into neighborhoods.
“It’s very scary, especially with all the drugs and all the homeless people roaming around. My mother doesn’t even take walks anymore,” said neighbor Bill Hammond, who FOX5 met last August. He tells FOX5, his condo complex Sevilla has sustained tens of thousands of dollars in damage from the vandalisms from people in the encampments by the trails.
Hammond pointed out a tent that moved onto the lawn of a senior living facility. “These homeless are roving, and they’re going from corner to corner. They’re sneaky. When they come and move them, they might move several 100 feet away,” he said.
FOX5 has told you about the persistent problems of encampments on the Flamingo-Arroyo trail and nearby pedestrian bridges.
Since last summer, Hammond and numerous residents tell FOX5 of noted improvements: regular sweeps and cleanings of encampments, and a rapid response when someone reports a new encampment. County officials said, since May, there are bi-weekly trail cleanings of trash and debris, and teams from Help of Southern Nevada are dispatched prior to inform the unhoused of resources.
Chair Tick Segerblom, who heads up District E, tells FOX5 that the trails have had fencing reinforcements and the Desert Inn & Mohave pedestrian bridge is completely blocked off.
“I hate to use the term ‘whack-a-mole,’ but that’s kind of what’s going on. We have our Navigation Center. We have shelters. We have the carrot. Now we need the stick. So that’s where we’re going to start issuing the warnings. If you come back here, we’re going to arrest you,” Segerblom said.
County officials tell FOX5, Counsel is exploring its enforcement options in light of the Supreme Court decision on enforcement on camping bans: the homeless can be ticketed or arrested for sleeping on sidewalks or illegally camping.
County officials said, when Metro Police clear camps from private property or parks, CARES teams are also dispatched to offer resources and aid.
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