HUD Secretary Fudge visits Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Jean Robinson doesn’t mind playing hostess.
“This is my humble little abode,” she said allowing more than a dozen strangers into her apartment for a tour.
On Monday, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge was in Las Vegas to listen to concerns about affordable housing in Southern Nevada.
Robinson’s North Las Vegas complex Rome Pines Apartments was one of the stops.
“I'm retired and slightly disabled,” said Robinson. “And if I want to buy a house where does that leave me with the market going where it's going right now?”
And Secretary Fudge said it shouldn’t be that way.
“We see you, we hear you,” said Fudge. “Together we can make sure that everybody does live in a decent place.”
Along with Nevada Congressman Steven Horsford, Fudge is touring several properties operated by Nevada Hand.
A nonprofit that builds affordable housing.
Board Chair Kenneth Ladd said the valley is not keeping up with demand.
“No. No, no” he said shaking his head. “There's a real thought that in the valley alone if we build 10-thousand units we could fill them tomorrow, that's the demand.”
Nevada Hand currently operates 36 properties for extremely low-income tenants.
What they pay in rent is based on income.
Horsford said housing is the number one concern he hears about from Nevadans.
“I have no problem at some level with adjustments that are reasonable and fair,” he said. “But I have a big problem with corporate investors that are gouging my constituents in the name of profit.”
An issue he’s working on.
Secretary Fudge says as a state, we have no choice,
“If we don't do something about the situation...we're going to create a problem that I saw in L.A. and San Francisco,” said Fudge. “Most of the people sleeping on the streets today are young parents and senior citizens.”
As for Robinson, she pays about $750 a month. That’s half what the average two-bedroom in Las Vegas currently goes for.
“It's peaceful over here and I like it. I like it a lot,” she said.
She says thanks to Nevada Hand, she and her neighbors live in a safe, clean, and well-maintained complex.
“And I want people to know that, stop thinking it's low income, it's the hood, it's poverty,” said Robinson. “No, it's not. It gives you quality of life you can afford.”
To learn more about Nevada Hand, or get on their waiting list for housing, you can visit their website at www.NevadaHand.org.