Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today toured the Shannon West Homeless Youth Center managed by HELP of Southern Nevada. After the tour, Cortez Masto unveiled a report on the role of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs in Nevada, in light of the Trump Administration’s proposal to eliminate CDBG funding. The report can be found here.
“The Shannon West Homeless Youth Center stands today because of CDBG funding and thanks to its construction, Clark County has doubled its homeless youth shelter capacity,” said Cortez Masto. “This facility offers crucial programs like the Step Up Program to help kids who turned 18 while in the foster care system transition into economic self-sufficiency. It is great to see firsthand CDBG at work in our community and the difference it makes in the lives of Nevadans.
“As my office report found, CDBG funding is a huge asset to the state of Nevada and is critical in supporting community development and spurring private investment. It creates jobs, funds essential infrastructure projects, and assists seniors, people with disabilities and low-income families with their housing needs. Nevadans who have benefited from CDBG, stakeholders and community leaders agree that CDBG is a necessary investment for improving our communities and helping those in need,” Cortez Masto continued.
“We were grateful for the opportunity to show Senator Cortez Masto around our new Shannon West Homeless Youth Center,” said Fuilala Riley, Chief Executive Officer of HELP of Southern Nevada. “This project was made possible through block grants as well as the collaboration of many organizations and all four local government offices. We are grateful for all the support and are looking forward to continuing to make progress in fighting youth homelessness in southern Nevada.”
The CDBG Staff Report follows-up on earlier work from the Office of Senator Cortez Masto on housing programs in the Silver State, focusing on the impact of the President’s proposed elimination of CDBG on the State of Nevada. Specifically, this Staff Report collects stories from CDBG-grantees and stakeholders in the Silver State, who each describe how they use the program to support communities and spur private investment. The Staff Report concludes that CDBG is vitally important for urban, suburban, and rural Nevada communities, and that the program is utilized by a variety of stakeholders – from nonprofits to faith-based organizations.