As NLIHC’s recently released The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes report demonstrates, Nevada has the greatest shortage of affordable housing for extremely low-income renters in the nation; the state has just 19 rental homes affordable and available for every 100 deeply poor renter households. Advocates from across the Silver State joined together at the state legislature on March 25 and 26 to sound the alarm and urge legislators to act.
The Statewide Homeless Vigil and Call for Housing Justice took place on March 25. People directly impacted by homelessness and housing poverty, faith leaders, homeless service providers, and legislative champions spoke in the state legislature in honor of the 408 Nevadans who passed away while experiencing homelessness in 2017-2018 in Clark and Washoe counties. This event set the tone for the following day when over 150 advocates from across state participated in advocacy activities for Housing and Homelessness Awareness Day.
The 408 names of people honored and remembered at the Statewide Homeless Vigil and Call for Housing Justice.Photo credit: MODAMyra
In addition to having fewer than two affordable and available homes for every 10 extremely low-income renters, Nevada also ranks high in rates of homelessness. It is third in the nation for the rate of unsheltered homeless individuals and has had the highest rate of unsheltered, unaccompanied homeless youth in the nation since 2013, according to the 2018 HUD Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (AHAR). Advocates spent the day educating state legislators about these alarming statistics and advocating for legislation that would help address them.
Advocates bring housing and homelessness statistics to the Nevada State Legislature. Photo credit: MODAMyra
Advocates filled the committee chambers when Senate Bill 448 (SB448) and Assembly Bill 174 (AB174) were introduced during the Housing and Homelessness Awareness Day. SB448 would create the Nevada Affordable Housing Tax Credit Program, creating $10 million over four years in dollar-for-dollar state tax credits available to private developers. AB174 would ensure homeless services stakeholders – such as state agencies and private businesses – work collaboratively by establishing the Nevada Interagency Council on Homelessness.
Other bills advocates pushed for includes ones that would increase funding for homeless services and affordable housing development, allow Medicaid to pay for some supportive housing services, enable cities and counties to vote on ordinances to increase the supply of affordable housing, and establish protections and eliminate barriers for homeless and foster youth.
The Housing and Homelessness Awareness Day events were organized by the Nevada Homeless Alliance and Acting in Community Together in Organizing Northern Nevada (ACTIONN). In addition to advocacy activities, Nevada Homeless Alliance Executive Director Emily Paulsen led a panel discussion on affordable housing and homelessness during a lunch reception. The panel included JD Klippenstein of ACTIONN, Arash Ghafoori of Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, Taisacan Hall of Young Adults in Charge, Fuilala Riley of Help of Southern Nevada, and Hilary Lopez of Praxis Consulting.
"We know what the solutions are to ending homelessness and housing poverty,” said Ms. Paulsen. “What our state and communities need is the political will to invest in the solutions at the scale necessary."
Group photo of advocates joining at the Nevada State Legislature. Photo credit: MODAMyra
For more information on the Nevada Homeless Alliance, visit: https://nevadahomelessalliance.org/ For more information on ACTIONN, visit: https://actionn.org/