SafeNest's One Safe Place puts more than 20 survivor services on one Las Vegas campus, a first for Nevada

What happened

SafeNest's One Safe Place, which the Las Vegas Sun described as Nevada's first affiliated family justice center, opened to survivors of abuse on Monday. The campus off Meadows Lane brings more than 20 community organizations and services together at one site. A ribbon cutting was held Thursday, Oct. 15.

The goal, officials told the Sun, is to replace a scattered system that forced survivors to travel across the valley for help. Putting agencies side by side is also meant to spare survivors from retelling their story at each stop. We covered the opening in our earlier brief on the center.

Who is on the campus

Partner agencies

According to the Sun, groups with space at the facility include the Clark County District Attorney's Office, Clark County Family Services, the Nevada Division of Social Services, Three Square Food Bank and UNLV's Survivor Representation and Advocacy Clinic. Others listed are Accepting Hearts Behavioral Services, the Children's Advocacy Center Foundation, Hope Christian Health Center, Signs of Hope, St. Jude's Ranch for Children and the Immigrant Home Foundation.

Services on site

The redesigned campus has a food pantry, a childcare center, workshop areas for survivor groups, staff meeting rooms and private rooms for meetings with caseworkers. The Sun reported that the space is protected by a state-of-the-art security system.

Why SafeNest built it

Costs of a fragmented system

SafeNest, founded in 1977, runs a 24-hour crisis hotline, an emergency shelter, transitional housing, counseling and court advocacy across 10 Clark County locations. Officials said many clients had to ride multiple buses to reach agencies around the county, which meant missing more work or paying for extra childcare.

CEO Liz Ortenburger told the Sun the group has wanted to expand its Meadows Lane office since 2019. She said having agencies together could shorten the time survivors spend getting documents, joining housing waitlists and finding jobs from years to months.

A model from other cities

SafeNest staff visited New Orleans, Orlando, Milwaukee, San Diego and Fort Worth. The Sun reported they found that each city with lower domestic violence rates had an affiliated family justice center or family peace center. One Safe Place joins about 200 such one-stop locations nationwide.

Ortenburger said the value is not only a single destination for survivors: "it isn't just that survivors have one safe place to go, it's that we have a place for everybody."

Funding and expected reach

Nevada provided SafeNest with $9 million for the complex, and the organization is seeking another $6.7 million to cover its loans, Ortenburger told the Sun. SafeNest serves about 16,000 survivors a year, a number she said is expected to double with the new facility.

The local picture

In Metro Police's annual crime report, Sheriff Kevin McMahill called domestic violence "one of the leading drivers of homicide" and said it would remain a focus in 2026, the Sun reported. Data from the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence showed 45 domestic violence deaths in Nevada last year, including five where a child was present, with most in Clark County and 24 of the victims women.

Nevada Crime Statistics data showed cases down 34% year to year, but the state has still reported 14,359 domestic violence cases in 2026. Clark County Commissioner William McCurdy II said at the ribbon cutting that the county "cannot continue to treat these deaths as inevitable." More on related issues is in our public safety coverage.

Survivor Becky Bird, who received protective order help from SafeNest in 2024 and now volunteers as a court advocate, described what she wished she had heard: "you don't have to do this alone, let's take the next step together."

What to watch next

• Whether SafeNest raises the additional $6.7 million it is seeking to cover its loans, according to Ortenburger.
• Whether the number of survivors served grows from about 16,000 a year toward the doubling SafeNest expects.
• How Metro Police follows through on McMahill's statement that domestic violence will remain an area of focus in 2026.