With thousands of homeless youth on our streets and Nevada leading the nation with the highest percentage remaining unsheltered, Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) continues to call on the community’s help to provide critical life-saving resources for these youth. Southwest Gas employees stepped up to the challenge and proved that a little giving from all of their employees can go a long way.
Justin Brown, Southwest Gas Vice President/Regulation and Public Affairs, and other members of the Southwest Gas team joined NPHY representatives and youth clients at the nonprofit’s Drop-In Center today to present a donation of over $50,000 to support the organization’s continued battle against youth homelessness in our community. The check represents money raised during Southwest Gas’s 2016/2017 Fuel for Life campaign, which came from many different employees donating from each pay check to add up to amount presented.
“Southwest Gas employees are pleased to support Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth through our employee giving program Fuel for Life,” said Brown. “Our employees have pledged nearly $1.7 million this year through the program, and this generosity demonstrates their commitment to supporting various agencies that offer critical services to some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Our employees recognize the critical role Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth plays in building a pathway to economic progress for homeless youth, and are proud to partner with it in its effort to eliminate youth homelessness throughout the state.”
The donation will go toward NPHY programs that help stabilize the lives of homeless youth and get them onto a pathway of self-sufficiency. These direct services for homeless youth include Outreach, Emergency Shelter, the Safe Place Mobile Crisis Intervention Program, Independent Living Program, Operation Go Home family reunification, and Drop-In Center services such as food, hygiene supplies, identification and birth certificates, bus passes, employment and education assistance, case management from licensed social workers, counseling, legal aid, and more.
“We’re grateful to have the support of Southwest Gas as youth homelessness continues to rise in our community,” said Arash Ghafoori, executive director of NPHY. “Because of the help community partners like Southwest Gas provide, we’re able to continue providing much needed assistance to youth in crisis.”
According to the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development’s 2016 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, Clark County/Las Vegas ranks No. 3 in the nation for prevalence of homeless youth. During the 2015-2016 school year, there were more than 14,000 homeless students enrolled in Clark County schools. In 2016, there were more than 1,500 unaccompanied homeless children and youth living on the streets or in homeless shelters on an average night in Southern Nevada.
About Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth:
Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth is the most comprehensive service provider for homeless youth in Southern Nevada, serving hundreds of youth through its core programs and by touching the lives of thousands more through outreach each year. Programs stabilize homeless teens’ lives, meeting their immediate needs and providing a safe, supportive environment and a path to self-sufficiency. They include: Outreach, Safe Place Mobile Crisis Intervention, Operation Go Home Family Reunification, Drop-In Center, Emergency Shelter, and Independent Living Program. For information and to support NPHY’s critical work to get homeless youth off the streets, visit www.nphy.org or follow NPHY on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nevadapartnershipforhomelessyouth.
About Southwest Gas:
Southwest Gas Corporation provides safe and reliable natural gas service to more than 1.9 million customers in Arizona, California and Nevada.
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