Regional Affordable Housing Forum - hosted by: SNRHA

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 AFFORDABLE HOUSING FORUM

a statistic to ponder




Last week Anne Johnson, CEO/Principal of Sparkflight Studios (SFS), and Melina Clark attended the "Regional Affordable Housing Forum" hosted by Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority (SNRHA). This important topic is a focus for SFS work, as they hold a term contract with SNRHA and completed multiple projects in the region, including: Wardelle Townhouses, and Vera B. Johnson Multifamily Housing. 

It was encouraging to experience a room full of stakeholders actively seeking solutions for our affordable housing shortage. Headlines included:

  • Discussion of barriers
  • Need for diverse resources including rehabilitation, Section 8 vouchers and new supply
  • $942 Million available for investment in Nevada affordable housing
  • Funding available through the Affordable Housing Credit Investment Act (AHCIA) of 2023
  • SHARE Westside (104 units)
  • Funding and development tools available at local government jurisdictions

The panels discussed the local and national attention on affordable housing. Some of the key presenters and attendees included:

  • Dr. Lawrence Weekly, Master of Ceremonies (former Clark County Commissioner)
  • U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
  • Congresswoman Maxine Water, Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee
  • Congressman Steven Horsford, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus
  • Congresswoman Nannette Barragan, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
  • Congressman Ted Lieu, Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and Chair of the Asian Pacific American Caucus
  • Lewis Jordan, Director, Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority 
  • Frank Stafford, Director of Modernization and Development, Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority 
  • Jason Pu, Department of Housing and Urban Development

For a complete list of speakers click here.

Headlines and Takeaways from the event included these statistics placed as centerpieces on each table:

80% of the land in Nevada is owned by government entities (both federal and state). Reduced (land) supply inevitably has driven up prices over time. If there was more (land) supply, prices would have to fall as owners are pressured to be one more competitive in the market. - Nevada Independent

HALF of all Nevada renters are paying more than 30 percent of their income on rent, while nearly a quarter of Nevada renters are paying more than 50 percent. - Las Vegas Review Journal November 22, 2022

Every Age Group from millennials to seniors - are struggling to find affordable housing. - Las Vegas Review Journal

Only 33 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income renter households. - The Gap - National Low Income Housing Coalition March 2023 www.nlihc.org/gap

Additional photos from the event (courtesy of Anne Johnson)













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