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VETERANS, SENIORS:

LOW-COST HOUSING

BY CHUCK N. BAKER
H ousing of all types for at that excuse. The city could have Housing Act was considered a step
in the right direction, but reports say
all sorts of individuals easily voted to rezone the land, but
decided not to. Was it because North it is unlikely to do much to blunt the
seems to be a buzz-
word these days. But
seniors and veterans Las Vegas did not want veterans living high cost of rent anytime soon. The
en mass within its boundaries, via the act aims to speed up building and
especially seem to old bromide “not in my backyard”? overcome a housing shortage. But
be lacking when it comes to locating it provides little or no new money,
reasonably affordable residences in The group Nevada HAND is devel- and in any event the federal govern-
reasonably decent neighborhoods oping a complex south of Las Vegas ment does not control local housing
around the state. What’s a body to Boulevard, 281 units specifically markets.
do? designed for low-income seniors.
Called Serene Pines, it will reportedly Speaking about homelessness at a
In Reno, affordable or budget-friendly feature a community room, a com- separate function, Mayor Shelley
rentals typically range from $750 to puter lab, a fitness center and other Berkley recently said to a group,
$1,100 per month for smaller spaces amenities. At a recent commercial “I don’t kid myself for a minute,
like studios and one-bedroom apart- real estate development association we’re not going to get everybody
ments. Overall citywide average rents meeting I attended, HAND CEO Tim off the streets. But I’m going to do
sit higher at roughly $1,515 a month, Veenstra implied that developing everything I can to stem this tide,
making low-cost units competitive affordable housing is not easy, but his because it’s going in the wrong
and scarce. Rental and deposit organization has been doing so. direction.”
financial assistance in Reno is avail-
able through local government and An 80-unit affordable housing project Several months ago the Trump
community programs for low-income that recently opened in Las Vegas is administration announced a new
households facing housing instability. Beals-Henderson Pointe, is available effort to initiate legal guardianships
Key local resources include the City of for households that earn between for homeless veterans. The system is
Reno Deposit and Rental Assistance 30 and 80 percent of the area’s me- being carried out by Veterans Affairs
Program, Washoe County Human dium income. It also features many lawyers with the Justice Department
Services and the Reno Housing amenities often found in more ex- that will at some point allow guard-
Authority. The City of Reno offers pensive units, including a playground, ianship proceedings for veterans
walk-in rental and deposit assistance barbecue stations and a basketball who have no family and who are
appointments at city offices, or via court. It was built by the Michaels unable to make their own health care
email at housingassistance@reno. Organization in partnership with the decisions. On the negative side, some
gov. Applicants generally need an Southern Nevada Regional Housing rights activists say the proposal plac-
income at or below 60% of the area Authority and funded by private eq- es homeless people in institutional
median income and proof of housing uity raised through the sale of federal settings against their will.
sustainability. low-income housing tax credits and
American Rescue Plan Act funding. Cheapest Places to live in Nevada
Several months ago the non-profit Housing Authority executive Kathy among larger incorporated cities are
Tunnels to Towers applied to build Thomas was quoted in the press reported to be North Las Vegas; and
low-cost housing for veterans in as saying that many people think Pahrump, an unincorporated town, in
North Las Vegas across the road from affordable housing lowers the value the south, typically hovering around
the Veterans Affairs clinic. The city in a community, but the attractive $900 to $1,150 a month. For smaller
blocked the project saying that the Beal-Henderson property proves that rural or frontier towns like West
property was not zoned for residen- assumption to be false. Wendover or Ely, average rents can
tial. Many veterans organizations drop even lower, often ranging from
and elected officials expressed shock In July the 21st Century ROAD to $700 to $800 monthly.