Homeless encampment in southeast Las Vegas Valley neighborhood has residents on edge

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A growing concern about homeless camps in one Las Vegas valley neighborhood is leaving residents frustrated.

People living near Reno and Spencer said they were dealing with a campsite for months before 8 News Now got involved and it was cleared out on Tuesday.

“This is getting more and more ridiculous. We need to get [Commissioner Jim] Gibson to do something about this,” resident Marcel Thomas said.

Thomas has called Glen Oaks Square Apartments his home since 2007. He’s watched the problem with homeless encampments grow, especially in the past year.

“I open my front door and it’s homeless people; they’ve got tents up, curtains up, beds. There was even a barbecue grill on the sidewalk,” he said. “People are sleeping there early in the morning, making breakfast on the sidewalk. Kids are going to school and they’re making breakfast.”

He said he’s made calls to the county, metro, and code enforcement but none of them took action.

“Nothing was done and camps kept getting bigger and bigger,” Thomas said.

At any given time, a group of 15-20 people set up camps throughout the community, according to Thomas. He said they move from one place to another in a never-ending cycle.

“It’s like church: the alleyway, then they come around here, they go around to the corner here. It’s a continuous nonsense,” Thomas said.

The impact can’t be ignored, he said, as seniors and school-aged children in the community are unable to use the sidewalks.

“School kids have to run across the street. People have to cross the street; they can’t walk down the sidewalk,” Thomas said.

Not only that, but Thomas also said people from the encampments trespass on residents’ property.

“They use a crowbar to break the lock so they can get in. They come in there, they take showers, they hang their clothes up,” Thomas said.

Thomas contacted 8 News Now on Monday about the issue. When our team arrived that night, the encampment was still there. A sanitation crew cleared it out on Tuesday, but Thomas is still concerned it’s a temporary fix to a bigger issue.

“Oh, they’re going to be back. Trust me,” he said. “We have empathy for the homeless, but this is ridiculous.”

The community near Reno and Spencer is a part of unincorporated Clark County overseen by Commissioner Gibson. In a statement, the county said its goal is to work with the most vulnerable population with compassion and efficiency, while at the same time protecting public safety and the quality of life for the community.

You can report encampment neighborhoods in your area through the FixIt Clark County website.

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