LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — AREA 15’s expansion means mostly everything around it will have to come down including a place tucked near the expansion site that gives hope to those with disabilities. Now that hope may be taken away if they do not find another facility.
“I do my job the best of my abilities,” 49-year-old Marcus Olige said.
Olige works the front desk for Progressive Choices, a non-profit that helps over 140 adults with intellectual disabilities, like Olige, get work-life skills and training.
“It’s giving guys who don’t have a say, a say in the community just giving them a shot to prove themselves,” Roman Gerad, marketing coordinator for Progressive Choices, said.
Gerard said the clock is ticking for the non-profit to move out because AREA 15 wants Universal to move in.
“The lease agreement was just a transition to them taking out the entire building,” Gerard said.
Their property is owned by Fisher Bros, who also owns AREA 15. The non-profit res-signed their lease in October but said they found out about AREA 15’s expansion in November and were given until February to move out.
They also said they were given a verbal promise by Fisher Bros. that they would receive $10,000 to help with finding another place.
But as their move-out date nears, that promise seems empty.
“Come February my biggest fear is we don’t have a solid location,” Gerard said. “It’s going to be difficult few weeks for us needless to say.”
For people like Olige, if there is no other facility he will soon be left without a job.
“I’m going to be stuck at home and I don’t want that,” Olige said. “We really do need the help.”
We reached out to AREA 15 on the status of the promise they made to Progressive Choices, they sent in a statement saying “
Progressive Choices is a wonderful organization providing vocational training and supported employment for intellectually challenged adults. To help ease their transition, we have pledged a generous financial contribution to support their continued good work in the community and have also provided recommendations for a real estate broker to help the organization find a new location. The organization is due to receive the pledged payment shortly.
AREA 15 spokesperson