LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Nevada seniors are waiting years to get into affordable housing.
One non-profit told FOX5 there are at least 10,000 of them currently on waitlists. There are efforts to shorten that wait and make sure our seniors have a roof over their heads.
Coordinated Living of Southern Nevada reports that one company that owns nine senior living complexes across the Valley is set to double its number of units over the next few years, including adding about 200 in 2025.
On top of that, on Tuesday, Clark County Commissioners endorsed about $30 million for four new affordable living facilities.
Until those get built, though, many seniors are left to wait.
“The one here in my building is about two and half to three years,” reported Annette McRae, who lives in an affordable complex built for seniors. “There are so many seniors and people with low income that need it very badly.”
If you were to search 55-plus communities in the Las Vegas Valley, you’ll find that most say either “no availability” or to check back for availability.
“There’s a tremendous shortage here, and growing,” Jeffrey Klein, President and CEO of Nevada Senior Services, told FOX5 Wednesday.
For those who have to wait years to get into affordable housing, Klein says there’s not many places they can turn.
“If they’re lucky and they have family, they move in with family. Unfortunately, many end up homeless,” he said. “They end up fragile, they end up ill, they end up in and out of hospitals.”
McRae said the same, referencing her friends who had to go through the wait.
“A lot of the people are living with relatives or they’re living in substandard housing,” she said.
Klein pointed toward the new affordable housing complexes planned to be built in the area, and also noted he’d like to see creative solutions like converting old hotels and motels into affordable housing.
Whatever is done, Klein says we need to do it quicker than we are.
“If we don’t take care of our most fragile, what does it say for us?” he asked.
Providing better connections to seniors in need with the services that put them on those waitlists in the first place is also a priority for Klein—and for McRae.
“They need more information, more resources, more affordable housing,” McRae said of her friends still on waitlists. “Of course, they need more patience, and that’s a little harder to come by, especially as you’re aging.”
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