December 2019

A MESSAGE FROM OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

By Bill Brewer, Nevada Housing Coalition President & Nevada Rural Housing Authority Executive Director

Greetings, housers!

Whether you’re developing housing, administrating housing, funding housing, or want to track and help with the affordable housing challenges facing Nevada – you’re a houser in my book! Thank you not only for your interest in supporting the Nevada Housing Coalition, but also in helping fulfill our mission to create sustainable solutions through community awareness, capacity building, and advocacy to ensure housing options for all Nevadans.

This monthly newsletter fulfills another goal of ours: to be your housing information resource. From proposed and passed policy, to Coalition programming, to local, state and national news, we aim to provide a robust selection of houser news. Are we missing something? Have ideas for content? Want to submit something? Get in touch with us at info@nvhousingcoalition.org.

In this month’s edition, you’ll see a list of housing-related events and activities (past and future), including the Coalition’s Brunch and Learn on November 7 in Reno at Moana Nursery, and the Coalition’s Lunch and Learn on November 20 in Las Vegas at The Center. The first session provided a look at housing policy in action at the state and federal levels. Later in the month in Las Vegas, our second session focused on equitable housing development strategies. Knowing not all housers can attgend all events, we have video recorded both presentations, and will post those on our website very soon. Watch for their links on Facebook (and if you’re not already following the Coalition, hop on it!).

The two events were made possible by a partnership with the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and we sincerely thank these two organizations for their support.

We hope you find this newsletter informative and useful in your work as a houser. Together, we can get a lot done!

Bill
wbrewer@nvrural.org

PREVIOUS EVENTS

November 26, 2019
The Nevada Homeless Alliance is sponsoring Project Homeless Connect
For more information, click here.

November 20, 2019
Nevada Housing Coalition’s Lunch & Learn – Las Vegas
“Equitable Housing Development Strategies”
For more information and a copy of the presentation, click here.

November 19-20, 2019
Opportunity Alliance and Building Bridges to a Thriving Nevada — Bridges Out of Poverty Financial TrainingFor more information, click here.

November 18, 2019
The Housing Crisis in A Precarious Economy: A Panel Discussion with Jessica Bruder, author
For her book Nomadland, journalist Jessica Bruder spent months living in a camper van, documenting itinerant Americans who gave up traditional housing and hit the road full time, enabling them to travel from job to job and carve out a place for themselves in a precarious economy. The project spanned three years and more than 15,000 miles of driving — from coast to coast and from Mexico to the Canadian border. For more information, click here.

November 7, 2019
Nevada Housing Coalition’s Brunch & Learn – Reno
“What’s on Deck for Affordable Housing”
For more information and a copy of the presentation, click here.

November 7, 2019
The 2019 Southern Nevada Youth Homelessness Summit: The Movement at Work
Nevada has the highest rate of unsheltered youth. To read a summary of the Summit, click here.

October 29-30, 2019
Opportunity Alliance and Building Bridges to a Thriving Nevada — Bridges Out of Poverty Financial Training
For more information, click here.

October 23, 2019 —
The American Institute of Architects Las Vegas hosted an event, “AIA Las Vegas Blueprint For Better Design Solutions For Affordable Housing and Homelessness.” For more information about the event, see here. Throughout this year, AIA Las Vegas architects and partners in our community have explored the critical issues of affordable housing and homelessness. At this meeting, they shared the results of our research and the solutions created by working collaboratively with those who are committed to solving the issues.

October 10, 2019

Opportunity Alliance of Nevada and Building Bridges to a Thriving Nevada hosted a Policy and Advocacy Workshop and Luncheon in Reno to discuss financial and economic security of Nevada families. For more information, see here.

NEVADA HOUSING NEWS

Give your feedback

Every five years the Nevada Housing Division and several of its affiliates conduct surveys and focus groups on the current state of fair housing and community development throughout Nevada. We then compile this information and based on the successes, challenges, and barriers identified through these surveys develop a five-year plan called the Consolidated Plan and the Impediments to Fair Housing in which we indicate funding priorities that we will dedicate federal and state funding towards. Please follow the links below to participate in these two important surveys.

Fair Housing Survey
English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019_Nevada_FHS
Spanish: https://es.surveymonkey.com/r/Nevada_EncuestadeViviendaJusta
Housing and Community Development Survey
English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019_Nevada_HCD_Survey
Spanish: https://es.surveymonkey.com/r/Nevada_ViviendayDesarrolloComunitario

NORTHERN NEVADA HOUSING UPDATES

Reno City Council:

The Reno City Council met on October 23^rd. There were several housing items:

Staff Report (For Possible Action): Presentation, discussion and potential direction to staff regarding the implementation of Senate Bill No. 103 (NRS 278.235) by adding a section to the Reno Municipal Code to provide for the reduction or subsidization of impact fees; the fees collected for the issuance of building permits collected pursuant to NRS 278.580; and fees imposed for the purpose for which an enterprise fund was created, such as sewer connection fees, to assist in maintaining or developing a project for affordable housing; and to amend Reno Municipal Code 12.16.280 as to sewer connection fees to address the new ordinance in this regard. Staff reports on several affordable housing projects and direction on the implementation of SB 103.
Staff Report: (For Possible Action): Review and potential approval of six agreements being negotiated in connection with the Daybreak Planned Unit Development regarding (1) charitable donations for affordable housing; and
Staff Report (For Possible Action): Resolution of the City Council of the City of Reno, Nevada, to be provided to the Director of the Nevada Department of Business and Industry, supporting the affordable housing complex identified as the “Whittell Pointe Apartments” (an existing 228 units at 1855 Selmi Drive in Reno); and providing other details in connection therewith. [Ward 4]

SOUTHERN NEVADA HOUSING UPDATES

Las Vegas City Council Recommending Committee
On December 2, discussed Bill No. 2019-44 , which would authorize the Director of the Department of Operations and Maintenance to determine and designate hours of cleaning for public sidewalks. During such designated and noticed hours of cleaning, no person shall sit, lie, sleep, camp, or otherwise obstruct the cleaning of the designated public sidewalks. For more information, see here.

Clark County Board of Commissioners
Met on November 19 and approved two Interlocal Agreements between Clark County and City of North Las Vegas to provide $984,254 in FY 2018/2019 HOME Investment Partnerships (“HOME”) Program funds and $402,527 in 2019 Low Income Housing Trust Fund program funds to the City of North Las Vegas for affordable housing purposes. The Board also approved the submission of the renewal grant application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Stability, Tenancy, Access, Restore Permanent Supportive Housing by Clark County Social Service to provide permanent supportive housing and critical supportive services to households experiencing homelessness.

Las Vegas City Council
Met on November 6 and passed an ordinance “prohibiting camping, lodging, and similar activities within any public right-of-way adjacent to residential property, within specified districts of the city of Las Vegas, or within five hundred feet of any receiving dock of a food processing facility.” For media coverage of the meeting, see here.

Henderson City Council:
On October 1 , the Henderson City Council met to approve a Interlocal Agreement “between the City of Henderson and Nevada Housing Division (NHD), Department of Business and Industry, to allocate 2020 Account for Affordable Housing Welfare Set-Aside funds, in the amount of $122,241.48, to assist the City in developing affordable housing projects to benefit families at or below the sixty percent Area Median Income Level.”

Clark County Commission:
On October 15, the Clark County Board of Commissioners met and received an update on the Clark County Strategic Response to Support Southern Nevada’s Plan to End Homelessness and to address affordable housing pursuant to Assembly Bill 309. During the presentation, the Commissioners heard that “Sixty families have been placed in transitional housing in the Las Vegas Valley since September 1, months after Clark County approved $9.8 million in marijuana business licensing fees to address homelessness.”

LAS VEGAS CITY COUNCIL:

Las Vegas City Council:
On November 6 (9 am), the Las City Council will meet to discuss a new ordinance “aimed at getting the city’s homeless population off the streets and connected with services.” Several homeless advocate and community groups oppose the ordinance. To find out more about the ordinance and/or how to get involved to weigh in on the ordinance, please contact Emily Paulsen, Executive Director of the Nevada Homeless Alliance/Policy Committee on Homelessness. Note: The Nevada Housing Coalition (NHC) is not taking a position on the ordinance; several members of NHC’s Policy Committee do oppose the ordinance.