Schelah Myrtil, a homeless outreach worker at HELP of Southern Nevada, was called last year to a lot near Chaparral High School.
There, she found a 3-year-old boy and his mother who had been evicted from their home. It was 103 degrees outside, and the second time Myrtil saw a minor in an encampment.
Myrtil connected the woman and child with agencies that assisted the mother in obtaining an identification and work referrals, and they now have their own apartment.
”There’s no reason a mom needs to resort to sleeping in a tent in a vacant lot with her kid,” Myrtil said.
Several days a week, HELP of Southern Nevada outreach workers like Myrtil fan out across the Las Vegas Valley, offering water, food, medical referrals and pathways to shelter for homeless people. As Southern Nevada settles into another summer of triple-digit temperatures, this work takes on an additional urgency.
On Monday, Myrtil’s team set off for Desert Breeze Park, where they were slated to meet up with members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Hope and Outreach Team, which also partners with community organizations to assist people experiencing homelessness in Clark County.
Alyssa Johnson, HELP of Southern Nevada’s regional outreach coordinator, said outreach routes are determined by a combination of referrals and field observations. The team responds to requests from agencies such as public works and code enforcement, while also driving through the valley to identify new locations where people may need assistance.
While outreach workers distribute water, socks, food bags and bus passes, many people aren’t ready to accept housing or other services during an initial encounter. Instead, Johnson said workers focus on building relationships they hope will eventually encourage someone to seek help.
“If you can just have a good conversation with the person, that alone is a success,” Johnson said. “Because everything in this work is built off your conversation with the clients, so you have to like talking to clients in this business.”
In Desert Breeze Park, the outreach team interacted with around a dozen people, including a couple with their dog. The couple wished to secure a place in a shelter, but Myrtil said that process would be complicated by their desire to remain with their dog, which most shelters won’t accept.
The team also spoke to a man who had been homeless for eight months after he suffered a heart attack. The team walked the man through a housing assessment, which Johnson explained is not a guarantee of housing, but instead puts people on a waitlist for housing opportunities funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Johnson, who has worked in homeless services for a decade, said she has an “incredible passion” for her job.
“It is a crisis that’s facing our nation,” Johnson said. “We’re one of the richest countries on Earth, yet we still have people sleeping on the streets.”
Charles Bouley moved to the area near Desert Breeze Park eight years ago and said he walks through the park everyday, pushing his dog in a pink stroller.
Bouley, who knows many who live near the park by name, said he’s encountered three dead people while on his daily walks. He acknowledged that resources devoted to homeless services are limited, but insisted that something could be done to solve the issue.
“It just breaks my heart, because no one cares,” Bouley said. “Someone loved this person, this is someone’s daughter.”
The team moved on to an encampment on 3441 E. Owens Ave., in a vacant lot next to a Dollar Tree. They entered through a small gap in the fencing, encountering a few makeshift tents that sat along a perimeter wall with trash scattered around them.
At first, the encampment seemed fairly empty. As the team began distributing water, more people emerged, further enticed by the promise of food and supplies.
“Everyone needs somewhere to go,” Myrtil said. “When you need somewhere to go, you have to resort to this to survive.”
Contact Sophie Baker at sbaker@reviewjournal.com.
