An estimated 1,500 people live in a network of abandoned storm-drain tunnels beneath Las Vegas, using the concrete channels constructed in the 1990s to manage flash flooding as places to sleep, store belongings and seek shelter from the city's heat, a Daily Mail report published this week said.
The tunnels stretch through and beneath parts of the city and are connected to washes and underpasses used by the unhoused by day and night. Many people who live there reject the pejorative nickname "mole people," saying they prefer to be called the local unhoused community; others interviewed by the outlet described severe mental illness, drug addiction and a hierarchy that can make some areas off-limits.
A reporter who entered a tunnel near the Bellagio Resort & Casino described trash and debris along the access path and items strewn inside, including bedding, luggage, baby items and spoiled food. Residents the reporter spoke with said conditions vary by sector and that some parts of the underground network are controlled by people they described as gang members who maintain barriers, spikes and other hazards.
One resident identified as Josh, 45, said he spends time in a private tunnel about two miles long and keeps a scythe he uses to signal his presence. Josh described finding food in discarded restaurant waste and said he collects recyclables to raise money. He said he uses crystal meth and that many people in the tunnels use fentanyl; he told the reporter he had lost "almost 10 friends" to the synthetic opioid since the start of 2025.
Another resident, Tim, known as "Boston," said he has lived in the tunnels for four years with his girlfriend and dog after his truck broke down. Tim said there is an informal hierarchy and that long-term residents are wary of outsiders. He also said he had never seen such a concentration of homeless people in Las Vegas and questioned whether local institutions were doing enough to help.
Rob Banghart, vice president of community integration at the Shine A Light Foundation, which focuses on the tunnel population, said he spent two-and-a-half years living in the tunnels and later became involved in outreach. Banghart described violence he experienced while homeless and said the underground environment felt different from the surface, with thicker air and a noticeable temperature change.
Shine A Light runs a program it calls the "unbroken chain of case management," an 18-month initiative in which five caseworkers provide services including addiction treatment referrals, legal assistance, employment help and housing navigation. The organization said it has about 350 active participants in its programs and that outreach teams walk the tunnels regularly to engage residents.
Banghart criticized the term "mole people" as dehumanizing and said the group aims to offer pathways out of homelessness for those who seek them. He said participation requires that individuals want to change their circumstances.
Residents and outreach workers also described risks posed by the tunnels. Several people said that when heavy rain occurs the washes and tunnels can flood quickly and become dangerous. The reporter said a recent short storm left floors wet and belongings scattered. Residents reported that police occasionally sweep the tunnels and that bulldozers have been used to remove encampments, leaving people to replace possessions they said had been destroyed.
Accounts from interviewed residents included descriptions of weapons, guard animals and improvised barriers in parts of the network. Banghart and other outreach workers recounted past attacks on people living underground, and some residents said they carry tools or weapons for protection. The Daily Mail report said some areas are avoided by residents because of alleged criminal control.
City officials were not quoted in the article cited by the reporter. The tunnels were built in the 1990s as part of a flood control system, but over time portions have been closed, repurposed or remain accessible. Shine A Light has helped some former tunnel residents move into housing; Banghart himself is cited as an example of a person who left the underground system and now works in outreach.
The report highlights broader issues facing Las Vegas and other cities with sizable homeless populations, including substance use, mental health needs, the availability of affordable housing and how municipal agencies and nonprofits coordinate response. Residents who use the tunnels said they value autonomy and privacy and that some reject traditional shelter or housing programs because of rules they said would limit visitors, hours or personal freedoms.
The Daily Mail account provides a window into day-to-day life for people using the tunnels in Las Vegas, documenting both the dangers and the community networks that exist underground, as well as outreach efforts that seek to connect people with services while acknowledging the challenges of engagement and trust.
Shine A Light and residents interviewed emphasized that solutions require voluntary participation and persistent outreach. The number of people living in the tunnels, the span of the network and the complex needs described by residents underscore continuing debates in Las Vegas about how to address homelessness while balancing public safety and public health concerns.