Las Vegas residents demand action as homeless encampment grows

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Residents at a Las Vegas apartment complex told 8 News Now the unhoused population is growing and is invading their neighborhood.

The Casa Bonita Apartments are located on North 23rd Street near Eastern and Owens avenues.

Concerned residents described the scene right outside their doors as chaotic.

What began as a few tents has expanded into a sprawling site filled with stolen shopping carts, piles of garbage, open fires, and, in some cases, open drug use and public defecation.

“There is trash everywhere; they hide under my trees in the back. I’ve had to kick a couple people out last week,” Briana Talbot property manager for Casa Bonita Apartments said.

She added that the large homeless camp across the street from the complex has increased since the start of summer, and it’s only getting worse. The issue is causing problems for the complex, specifically with recruiting new tenants.

“I’ve had a couple applications where people bring back the application blank because they see what’s going on across the street,” Briana Talbot property manager for Casa Bonita Apartments said.

Neighbors are pleading for action from the City of Las Vegas and the owner of the property where the unhoused are currently living. The area occupied by the encampment is privately owned, leaving the group to stay until police can contact the owner of the property to enforce the trespassing.

It limits what the city or law enforcement can do without the owner’s cooperation.

“There will be instances where they will be high, naked, or using the bathroom where our kids play. Our kids are scared to go take the trash to the dumpster because of all this,” an anonymous tenant told 8 News Now.

The location in question has been canvassed multiple times over the past few weeks by the Multi-Agency Outreach Resource Engagement Team (M.O.R.E.), which is a partnership between the City of Las Vegas and local law enforcement.

Despite consistent outreach and engagement efforts, the individuals experiencing homelessness at the site have repeatedly declined services and resources offered by both the M.O.R.E. team and law enforcement.

“I have called 311 five times, I called code enforcement, I called ward three, and I got no response. It’s very frustrating,” Joseph Uperti who does maintenance for Casa Bonita Apartments said.
 
The property is privately owned, and code enforcement has been notified. Management at the Casa Bonita Apartments has reached out to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department; however, responses have been either delayed, minimal, or ineffective. 

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