Construction is underway on a property near Galletti Way and Glendale Avenue in Sparks. Crews are renovating several buildings to create the "Our Place Homeless Housing Project". The Washoe County Board of Commissioners approved an additional $2.735 million for the project, Tuesday. That brings the total to $13.735 million.

"That's a large amount of money but realistically when you look at the grand scheme of things, the county spent over $20 million in the last couple of years to combat and deal with homeless issues, veterans' issues, indigent people, aging out teenagers, senior issues," Commissioner Bob Lucey, Washoe County said.

The new campus will be available to women, families and children. 

"They will be individually housed in their own unique family-type settings so they'll have wrap-around case management and a daycare that will be able to serve double the capacity," Amber Howell, Director of Washoe County Human Services Agency said.

50 beds will also be set aside for young adults between the ages of 18 and 24. Our Space is expected to alleviate overcrowding at the Record Street shelter in downtown Reno, which will become a men-only facility. Howell says men and women have different needs.

"75 percent of the women that are in the Record Street shelter are fleeing from a domestic violence situation and so it's really important for them to have a safe place to go," Howell said.

Howell says the Record Street shelter has room for 300 people and 100 more are using an overflow tent. She says 275 children spent at least one night in a shelter. The new facilities will provide space for 114 women and 27 family units that many say will be better for kids.

"So that they can make sure that they're achieving their developmental milestones in a child-friendly safe environment where they just get to be a kid and not worry about the situation that they're in," Howell said.

Childless adults will be allowed to stay at Our Place for up to 90 days. Families can stay for up to six months. During their stay, they get services that are intended to get them back on their feet. Howell says people need housing and food in order to get out on their own.

"We're taking that out of the equation so that they can focus on what they need to be able to live independently, and they want to live independently, and we're going to help them get there," Howell said.

"This will make an actual location for women, children, families to go find a place to find the resources, the programming and everything that they may need to help them get back on track," Lucey said.

The state of Nevada owns the property. Some of the buildings have been used for other things and some have been vacant for about a decade. Washoe County has a 15-year lease with the state, with five-year leases after that.

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