2024 Nevada Youth Homelessness Summit Presented by NPHY and Sands Continues Statewide Momentum and Collaboration

The 2024 Nevada Youth Homelessness Summit presented by Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) and Sands on November 8 will bring together the state’s leading youth homelessness experts, key stakeholders from various sectors and youth with lived experiences of homelessness in a robust day of insightful panels, in-depth breakout sessions and an inspiring youth fashion and art showcase.

NPHY and Sands established the Summit in 2017 to address the high incidence of youth homelessness in Nevada, which continues to be a major statewide issue. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the number of young people experiencing homelessness in Nevada increased by 14% from 2022 to 2023.

“Our work at the Summit is more urgent than ever,” Arash Ghafoori, CEO of NPHY, said. “Continued rising youth homelessness rates and the challenging experiences of the youth we serve are a consistent call-to-action for lasting and sustainable solutions that ensure no young person has to wonder where they will sleep at night and how they will sustain their lives.”

Summit 2024 expands the collaborative work begun in 2023 when it moved its focus from Southern Nevada to statewide and established the goal of building the first standalone plan to end youth homelessness in Nevada. This year’s convening will coalesce efforts currently being pursued across the state and explore concrete steps for uniting stakeholders to achieve lasting solutions.

This ground work will culminate in developing Nevada’s plan to end youth homelessness after the June 2025 completion of the statewide Youth Experiencing Homelessness Study, which is being conducted to provide an accurate representation of youth experiencing homelessness in Nevada.

Summit 2024 Preview

Kristin Koca, Sands’ executive director of corporate communications, will kick off the day, and Ghafoori will then present an update on the Movement to End Youth Homelessness. The morning session provides a robust agenda to set the stage for collaborative afternoon breakouts and includes regional update presentations from youth homelessness leaders from northern, southern and rural Nevada and tribal communities; youth perspectives from young leaders with lived experience; and a legislative panel with officials from the local and state levels.

The general session concludes with the Igniting Change: Youth Fashion and Art Showcase, featuring fashion designs and art creations from youth who experienced homelessness as a mechanism to share their experiences. Kevin Smith, founder and lead educator of the Las Vegas Trade and Fashion Academy curated the showcase with youth.

“Expect to cry,” Nariya Gregory, youth consultant, advocate and a participant in the showcase, said. “Expect to get a lot of feedback about things that need to change. If you’re a teacher, a social worker, you have a big role in this world, and you’ll be getting a lot of feedback on how you could help and give the teens and young adults you’re working with hope and show them you’re sticking with them.”

Afternoon breakout sessions will take a deeper dive into problem-solving with insights, information and group discussion. Sessions include:

• A presentation and panel discussion on the Statewide Youth Experiencing Homelessness Study and Nevada Interagency Council on Homelessness to Housing Strategic Plan
• Presentation of the Homeless Youth Handbook, a detailed guide providing information on rights, responsibilities and resources for youth experiencing homelessness
• An overview of the 2025 Nevada Legislative Session
• A panel discussion on the intersection of climate change and homelessness
• A review of the Youth-Led Playbook for Transforming Systems and Empowering Communities
• A how-to session on mindfulness practices for service providers and youth experiencing homelessness.

To attend the 2024 Nevada Youth Homelessness Summit, visit https://nphy.org/summit24. Summit 2024 is presented by NPHY and Sands with support from the UNLV Greenspun College of Urban Affairs and the Las Vegas Review-Journal.