Clark County's 2026 homeless census found a 12% increase in people without a permanent home, more than 8,800 individuals, according to the count. That runs counter to new federal data showing national homelessness dropped 6% this year.

The local efforts come as Gov.-elect Aaron Ford prepares to take office. Ford, who as attorney general secured more than a billion dollars in recovery settlement funds, has signaled the issue is a priority, according to providers who have worked with him.

David Marlon, a clinician and CEO of Vegas Stronger, said his organization held a Community Impact Day offering people "right off the streets" what organizers described as a first step toward stability. Marlon said he has served on Ford's substance use working group and hopes that relationship translates into action.

"I know he knows this is an important issue and I hope we can continue to make an impact collaboratively working with our state partner," Marlon said. He said part of that impact means steering recovery settlement money into the hands of treatment and recovery providers like his.

At the Nevada Homeless Alliance's Project Homeless Connect, as many as 1,000 people received free services ranging from medical care to housing assistance and employment help. HopeLink of Southern Nevada recently held its Fall Festival, celebrating families pulled back from the brink of eviction.

Taisacan Hall, a lived experience specialist with the Nevada Homeless Alliance, said the obstacles go beyond a shortage of units. "The easiest answer is housing of course but I also will say there's a lot of deep rooted stigma surrounding homelessness," Hall said.

Hall said she wants more direct engagement from people in higher office. "Take those moments to rehumanize people not in a tokenizing way but to really highlight what it looks like in our community," she said. She also called for legislation that helps people stay housed, especially young people. "That's a game changer for our community overall that we're not just like shoveling people to the side ... but that we're really supporting folks and getting them to where they need to," she said.

Aaron Sheets, CEO of HopeLink of Southern Nevada, said his organization's core mission is prevention and that it aims to expand across the state within the next year or two. He said catching financial instability early — a utility disconnect notice, for example — can keep a family from losing its home. "It's a small sign but when you look deeper, that what leads to now, 'I can pay my utility to keep my lights on but I can't pay all of my rent,'" he said.

Sheets said a key legislative goal is a dedicated line item in the state budget: a flexible housing stabilization fund that could cover rental assistance, employment help or childcare copays — anything that keeps a person housed.

He said HopeLink's data show its housing interventions and stability work have averaged $5,000 per household over the last six years, or about four months of assistance, and that fewer than 2% of people helped at that level later became homeless. By contrast, he said, once a person becomes homeless, emergency services cost the community $93,000 a year.

"If we address it earlier, there's a cost but it's much less than doing nothing," Sheets said.

The push for state investment comes as providers say demand is outpacing what local programs can absorb. With more than 8,800 people counted without permanent housing in Clark County, advocates argue that prevention spending and a coordinated state response are the most cost-effective path forward — and they are asking the incoming administration and lawmakers to treat it that way.