SBS Dateline | Las Vegas Blues

Imagine having just 15 minutes to gather your possessions and get out of your home. It’s a reality, not in a wartorn country, but in the glittering gambling capital of the United States, Las Vegas.

Sergeant Deputy Patrick Geary has the job of evicting people who’ve failed to pay their rent and have nowhere else to turn for help. They’re thrown out onto the street, with their children and whatever else they can carry.

Others can’t afford the rent on storage units containing their personal belongings… they lose it all to the highest bidder at a repossession auction.

Miranda Grit reports for Dateline on the desperate unemployment crisis facing Las Vegas, where financial success or failure is traditionally seen as a litmus test for America’s economy.

WATCH - Unfortunately this story is no longer available on the Dateline website for copyright reasons, but you can still view it on the YouTube channel of video distributor, Journeyman.

COMMENTS - Tell us what you think about this, or any other Dateline stories, by clicking the comments tab.