Nonprofit Launches the NPHY Transitional Housing/Rapid Rehousing Program with Additional Beds, Wraparound Services to Address Lack of Housing Capacity for Homeless Youth
LAS VEGAS, November 17, 2021 – In celebration of National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) today announced culmination of its Housing Expansion Campaign, exceeding the goal of $500,000 with $675,000 generated through the funding push that began in February 2019. Major investments of $200,000 from Las Vegas Sands and a $100,000 community matching grant from the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation led the campaign to rally the Las Vegas community around addressing the lack of housing capacity for homeless youth in Southern Nevada.
Thanks to the campaign’s success, NPHY has been able to purchase a 15-bed housing property that increases its housing stock by 150 percent and provides an additional 5,475 nights per year to keep youth experiencing homelessness safe and off the streets. With programmatic funding support from Clark County marijuana business license fees, this new housing property has become part of the NPHY Transitional Housing/Rapid Rehousing Program, which provides a total of 30 housing beds and delivers comprehensive services to assist youth in navigating beyond their circumstances and creating pathways for success.
“The JBJ Soul Foundation understands the great need to continue to address youth homelessness across the country, which is when we saw the potential to make an impact in Las Vegas,” said Jon Bon Jovi, Board Chairman of the JBJ Soul Foundation. “We knew that in partnering with NPHY and Sands, along with motivating the community with our match grant, we would create a successful venture where vulnerable youth can have not only a safe place to sleep, but also have access to services to help them move beyond their circumstances.”
At the campaign’s launch, Southern Nevada only had enough youth-dedicated beds to serve less than 22 percent of the young people experiencing homelessness on a given night in Southern Nevada. Recognizing this critical need, Sands committed an initial $100,000 in seed funding through Sands Cares to start the campaign in 2019 and recruited the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation to join the effort, marking the Foundation’s first charitable investment in Southern Nevada. The Foundation provided a $100,000 grant to match community donations as a way to inspire excitement and participation. At the end of the campaign, Sands provided an additional $100,000 to help NPHY address rising real estate costs spurred by the pandemic, which increased the amount needed to purchase the housing property. Other major campaign donations came from Chase, the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA), the Cashman Family Foundation, the Robert S and J Dorothy Keyser Foundation, and anonymous individual donors.
With funding needs met, NPHY was able to purchase the multifamily housing property and launch a comprehensive program to wrap a full suite of services around youth living in the residence. Under the umbrella of the NPHY Transitional Housing/Rapid Rehousing Program, youth in the housing program also receive case management; employment and education assistance; immediate needs services such as food, clothing, hygiene supplies, and transportation; moving assistance; life skills classes; and peer mentorship and support. This comprehensive program not only addresses housing needs, but provides the critical support services that can put vulnerable youth on a pathway to self-sufficiency and success.
“Our campaign was focused on the concept that a place to sleep is more than just a bed – it’s the foundation for a brighter tomorrow and a future with possibilities for youth to reach their highest potential,” said Arash Ghafoori, CEO of NPHY. “We accomplished the goal of narrowing the gap in youth housing capacity because of the continued committed partnership of Las Vegas Sands, the willingness of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation to bring its successful track record in establishing homelessness housing solutions to Las Vegas, and, most important, the generous support of our community.”
The NPHY Housing Expansion Campaign targeted a key focus area outlined in the Southern Nevada Plan to End Youth Homelessness, which mapped out a strategy of increasing housing through innovative funding partnerships such as this one. Unveiled in 2018, the plan addresses the alarming youth homelessness statistics that plague this region. Clark County’s metro area consistently ranks among the top in the nation for the rate of unaccompanied homeless youth living on the streets or in shelters, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“We’ve worked with NPHY as a committed partner in the fight to end youth homelessness since 2014,” said Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs at Sands. “We know that when NPHY identifies a need, they will create a solution that makes impact. That’s why we invested in the campaign and recruited our friends at the JBJ Soul Foundation. We knew this combination could inspire our community to success.”
To learn more about NPHY’s successful housing expansion campaign, visit nphy.org/aplacetosleep/ and sands.com/responsibility/community/sands-cares/youth-homelessness.
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About Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY)
For the past 20 years, NPHY has been the most comprehensive service provider for the thousands of homeless youth in Southern Nevada, serving hundreds of youth through our core programs and touching the lives of thousands more through outreach each year. NPHY’s programs stabilize homeless teens’ lives, meeting their immediate needs and providing a safe, supportive environment and a path to self-sufficiency. Through our work with homeless youth, NPHY creates productive, healthy adults who contribute to society. Strengthening and complementing our high-quality direct services for homeless youth, NPHY is dedicated to advocating with and for the Vegas Valley’s homeless youth population and serves as a leader in systems-level efforts to eliminate homelessness among Nevada’s youth. For more information or to support our life-changing work for homeless youth, please visit www.nphy.org.
