Las Vegas Homeless Encampment to Become Permanent

In cities without adequate affordable housing, homeless encampments are common, and generally subject to police raids. Las Vegas is trying a different approach. The city is buying up some land on Foremaster Lane to make the encampment permanent. "The city was well-placed for the city to acquire, Thomas-Gibson says, because with some traditional homeless shelters already operating nearby, commercial and retail operators weren’t likely to locate there," Jared Brey reports for Next City. The city is going to make it legal for homeless residents to camp on the street just north of the city's downtown, rather than continuing to arrest and move the population there.

"Las Vegas has the eighth largest homeless population in the U.S., based on the annual point-in-time survey from last January. It is the smallest city in the top ten," Brey writes. Moving this population from their encampments doesn't address the issue it just keeps that population moving

How common are police raids? "Just this week, officials in Orange County, California, announced a plan to clear out a homeless encampment on the Santa Ana River and provide temporary housing in motels for up to 400 people. Last month, Baltimore said it would clear an encampment under an interstate overpass downtown and provide temporary dormitory housing for its residents," Brey Reports.