North Las Vegas officials demolish tiny home community for homeless created by activists

By JACLYN SCHULTZ

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    LAS VEGAS, Nevada (KVVU) — A group working to help people who are homeless in the Las Vegas Valley is fighting to re-create their tiny home community, after the City of North Las Vegas tore it down this spring after various notices and violations.

The debate centers around what the City of North Las Vegas said is allowed and zoned for the property, deeming the group’s project “uninhabitable” and “unsanitary;” in contrast, the group argues their work is a sustainable and “eco-friendly” solution to help people in need find shelter.

The group hoped to re-create tiny home communities that have emerged in other cities, which is why New Leaf Community purchased the property off Revere Road.

According to the group, there were four people currently living in structures. The property had volunteers to clean up trash, compost toilets and plans for solar panels for electricity for cooling systems and electronics.

“We were on the side of being eco-friendly. And so we had built a Bokashi composting toilet system. This is a model that’s works all around the country. And it’s pretty cool to me,” said Franklin Redensek.

“[We can] help people the most by giving them shelter, when they’re not stressed about having a place to sleep at night,” said Alejandro Rosales, another volunteer. “They can worry about supporting themselves in other ways, as long as their basic needs are met. It’s devastating, especially considering it was like five months of work that just kind of got destroyed.”

The City of North Las Vegas and New Leaf Community organizers battled in court over the fate of the property. City officials obtained a warrant, stating it violated various housing and safety codes, calling it “hazardous and unsanitary,” “creating a fire hazard,” considers them “makeshift structures.” The property ultimately had no sewage, electricity, or running water, per codes.

The warrant stated that the land had “no access for emergency vehicles” and could impact “quality of life and property values” for neighbors.

Delen Goldberg with the City of North Las Vegas said that the group was notified numerous times that the project was not permitted and the owner received violations. The parcel is zoned for traditional residential establishments such as single-family homes and apartments, she said.

The property was demolished this spring, and the group said some people living there lost their personal documents and family heirlooms; another lost their entire life savings.

Goldberg released a statement on behalf of the city:

The City of North Las Vegas’ top priority is providing a safe and livable community for all residents. The ramshackle arrangements located on the property were non-permitted structures that violated both Uniform Housing Code and Municipal Code regulations, and significantly increased the dangers of death from building collapse, fire and exposure to extreme temperatures. By flagrantly ignoring codes and regulations, the property owner created an unsafe, unsanitary condition on the property, to the extent that it was deemed uninhabitable.

Since December 2021, the City has attempted to work with the property owner to correct violations on the property. Rather than correct the violations, the property owner increased the pace of non-permitted construction and brought individuals to live on the property without access to fresh water, heating, cooling or adequate sewage disposal, all of which are required by SB150.

The City’s Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement Team worked multiple times successfully to engage those on site and provide services including outreach, transportation and relocation services.

On multiple occasions, the City served formal notices of violations and abatement on the property and issued civil and criminal citations to the property owner. The owner never completed any appeals within the timeframes outlined in the various notices.

City of North Las Vegas

Representatives with the group, on the other hand, claim they have been repeatedly asking for months to meet with city officials to clarify what is permitted, hoping to connect to a sewage system as a option.

“There are people working in solidarity to try to make our own resources. In my opinion, they should just let us do that if we’re not doing anything wrong,” Rosales said.

The group continues to help those who were displaced, and other people who are homeless in the heat. You can donate items such as food, supplies, and tents to the organization.

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