City of Las Vegas works on phase two of construction for Courtyard Homeless Resource Center

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Back in January, FOX5 showed you the newly renovated Courtyard Homeless Resource Center located on Foremaster Lane and Las Vegas Boulevard. A center where the homeless can go to do things like sleep, shower and get access to resources to help them get back on their feet.

Construction workers are hard at work finishing phase two of construction to provide even more services for the homeless.

“First time I have ever experienced being homeless in my life, I was 56 when it happened,” said Lisa Craighead who is currently staying at the Courtyard.

For over a year, Lisa Craighead has been experiencing homelessness. She said the services currently offered at the City of Las Vegas Courtyard Resource Center have provided her with a temporary safe space for her and her fur babies to call home.

“What is most important to me is I have three babies right back there that are safe,” said Craighead. “Every minute of every day. They are fed for free and they are sheltered for free.”

The courtyard homeless resource center opened the first phase of its new facility back in December.

It is a low-barrier shelter where people experiencing homelessness can sleep, have access to running water and wrap-around services

“There are shuttles that run like to important places like Medicaid and welfare and DMV,” said Craighead.

“We are doing everything from primary healthcare to job placement to transportation and we have a flexible housing program where we place people into temporary housing while they are transitioning into permanent housing,” said Neighborhood services director for the city of Las Vegas, Kathi Thomas

Thomas said now that they are done with phase one, they are ready to move on to phase two.

“Phase two will include another 20,000 square feet of space that our partner service providers can come on-site and work with participants like the state and some of our health care providers and their human services providers to come here and meet people right where they are,” said Thomas.

Thomas said it will also have additional showers, storage space and a place to do laundry.

“Things that most of us might take for granted, our neighbors that are experiencing homelessness really need it as that first step to getting their lives back,” said Thomas.

Over the last couple of months, Thomas said she has seen an increase in homeless coming into the courtyard needing help sometimes serving up to 600 people a month.

Once completed with the second phase of construction, the city will be able to even better serve those experiencing homelessness.

“We often say people don’t come to the courtyard, they come through the courtyard,” said Thomas. “The idea is as a navigation center; we support individuals to identify the resources they need to get their own lives on track.”

The city is hoping to be done with construction for phase two of the courtyard by early 2023.

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