LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – There is a waitlist of 44,000 people in need of housing, according to the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority, and leaders say the expanding Las Vegas Valley has a growing need for federal aid and more housing options.
The report comes from the Authority’s presentation to Clark County leaders. The waitlist of 44,000 people includes the number of households in need of Section 8 housing or affordable housing options.
Clark County gets 12,000 vouchers for Section 8. The SNRHA noted the need to recruit more landlords to participate in the section 8 program to help with the demand for housing, and to offer incentives to do so.
Chair Tick Segerblom, who sits on the SNRHA board, said the Valley needs far more resources from the federal government to meet the demand.
“We have about the same population for Clark County as Chicago. Chicago has 45,000 vouchers, we have 12,000. So we need to also ask our Congressional district to go back to D.C. and really get some more vouchers,” Segerblom said.
FOX5 reached out to Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s office on efforts in Congress.
“Last week, Senator Cortez Masto voted to pass a bipartisan government funding package which makes critical investments to support a wide variety of housing needs, including $32 billion for Section 8 nationwide. This $5 billion increase from 2023 will support families currently using the program and help more Nevadans access the funding. The senator will continue to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address the housing crisis and help hardworking Nevada families afford a home,” said spokesperson Tony Hernandez.
This week, Cortez Masto also made a push to lawmakers for her HOME Investment Partnerships Reauthorization and Improvement Act, which would add $5 billion for affordable housing.
The Nevada Housing Coalition said the Silver State has the worst shortage of affordable housing in the nation, lacking 84,000 units for extremely low-income residents.
Since 2022, Clark County has invested around $200 million in affordable housing projects in the Welcome Home Community Housing Fund, all to add new developments across the Las Vegas Valley.
Nevada Hand, the state’s largest developer of affordable housing with more than 30 properties across the Las Vegas Valley, tells FOX5 that the demand keeps growing as inflation keeps impacting families.
“It’s families, it’s seniors. It’s everybody. We see more inquiries, we see more phone calls. We hear that in those inquiries, that desperation in people’s voices, who are really looking for an adequate, affordable place to live,” said Waldon Swenson, vice president of corporate affairs for Nevada Hand.
Nevada Hand has 1,900 units being built in developments across the Valley.
“[We] have a great we have a growing economy here throughout Nevada, and that’s a wonderful thing. What’s not keeping up with people coming to Nevada is our housing stock,” Swenson said, noting the challenges for developers to secure plots of land with large swaths owned by the federal government.
Swenson said there’s only a handful of units available among 5,000 total units across their properties, right now. People who are interested can go to their website: Nevada Hand
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