Manny's position
Homelessness in Clark County remains one of the most urgent challenges facing our community. Thousands of individuals and families are struggling, and neighborhoods across the county are feeling the impact.
On a single night in 2024, more than 7,900 people were counted as homeless in Clark County, with over half living unsheltered. While significant public resources have been invested, it's clear that more coordination, accountability, and measurable progress are needed.
Manny Kess believes we can do better — and we must.
His approach pairs compassionate outreach and real shelter and stabilization beds with smart, consistent enforcement that protects neighborhoods. He will require clear quarterly public reporting by area — including District E hotspots — so residents can see transparent progress. And he will work to ensure County-funded providers are focused on outcomes that move people from the streets into stability.
Success will be measured by fewer people living unsheltered, stronger support systems for those in crisis, and safer neighborhoods for everyone.
The plan, in five actions
- Require quarterly public reporting by area. Right now, Clark County reports homelessness as a single county-wide number. Manny will push to publish the same data by Commission district and by ZIP — including District E hotspots — so the public can actually see whether things are getting better. If a vendor's neighborhood metrics aren't moving, that contract gets reviewed.
- Pair compassion with capacity. Outreach without shelter beds is a referral to nowhere. Manny will prioritize funding decisions that grow the real, available bed count — emergency shelter, stabilization, and pathway-to-housing — so when a case worker encounters someone in crisis, there's actually somewhere to go that night.
- Hold providers accountable to outcomes. Contracts should be judged on outcomes that actually move people from the streets into stability — not on outputs like "people served" or "meals distributed." Manny will support contract structures with milestone-based renewals and clear off-ramps for vendors who can't show results.
- Apply smart, consistent enforcement. Clark County's public camping ban took effect in February 2025; enforcement varies from neighborhood to neighborhood. Manny believes the rules should be the same everywhere — applied compassionately but consistently. Residents shouldn't have to host an encampment because the County won't enforce its own law.
- Measure success in plain English. Success is fewer people living unsheltered, stronger support for people in crisis, and safer neighborhoods. Not the number of meetings held. Not the number of plans written. Outcomes — published quarterly, on one page anyone can read.
Why this matters in District E
The Boulder Highway corridor and parts of Sunrise Manor have borne a disproportionate share of the homelessness crisis in Clark County. Residents have spent years asking for what feels like basic government competence: lit streets, clean public spaces, predictable enforcement, and visible plans. The next District E commissioner will sit at the table when County dollars are allocated to shelter, outreach, and policing. Manny intends to make those dollars count — and to bring receipts.
Public safety context
Sunrise Manor's robbery rate sits 59% above the national average; property crime is 62% above average. A new LVMPD Hollywood Area Command station for East Las Vegas is targeted to open in August 2026. Manny will push to make sure the new station's staffing and patrol model is tied to a public response target — so the people who pay for that station actually see the response time benefit.
What it doesn't mean
"Smart enforcement" doesn't mean criminalizing poverty. "Real beds" doesn't mean stadium-style mass shelters. "Public reporting" doesn't mean shaming people in crisis. It means making the system honest about what's working and what isn't, and being willing to change course when the data say so.
What Manny will not support
- Vendor contracts renewed automatically without an outcomes review.
- Reports that lump the entire county into a single number.
- "Pilot programs" that quietly become permanent without a results audit.
- Selective enforcement — different rules in different neighborhoods.