County to deploy social services outreach team to Las Vegas Strip
By Caitlin Lilly
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LAS VEGAS (KVVU) — Clark County on Wednesday announced that it will add a team of social service outreach workers to deploy on the Las Vegas Strip.
According to a news release, the addition of the social workers to the area is in an effort “to help foster an environment of safety along the Las Vegas Strip and in response to an increase in homelessness.”
Clark County said the team will partner with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to “engage with those suffering from homelessness, mental health or substance abuse issues.”
According to the county, the team of social workers, called a CARE Team, will connect residents in crisis with programs and services such as addiction and mental health treatment, counseling and housing assistance.
The county says that two teams will be dedicated to the Las Vegas Strip and a third group will be located at University Medical Center (UMC).
According to the release, the county is currently hiring for these positions. However, in the interim, existing Clark County CARE teams are being deployed to the Strip.
“The CARE Teams brings those who may be suffering from mental health or substance abuse issues to the programs and services they need,” Commission Chairman Jim Gibson said. “We have seen these teams work elsewhere in Clark County and believe they are part of the solution to ensuring public safety on the Strip and across our community. The Las Vegas Strip is not an adequate place for those facing these types of issues to live, and in dedicating CARE Teams resources to the resort corridor we will help address the need while fostering an environment of safety for our visitors, residents, and the thousands of employees who work in the hotel properties. And most importantly, they will help these individuals to get the help they need.”
The county says it established CARE Teams three years ago “to address the needs of some of our most vulnerable residents.”
Currently, according to the county, the teams focus on helping individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Another team partners with Las Vegas police to respond to individuals who need intervention to address mental health or substance abuse issues, the release says.
“LVMPD and our partners strive to establish non-traditional policing endeavors to identify solutions for significant social disorders that cannot be solved through enforcement, arrest, incarceration, and prosecution alone,” Metro Police Capt. Roxanne Burke said. “This team will provide a stronger focus on long-term solutions to many behavioral, societal, and mental concerns felt by our citizens. Together, they will meet with clients, conduct assessments, and provide treatment plans.”
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