Bob Cleveland is the executive director for Rebuilding Together Southern Nevada
Q: What are you reading?
A: “HUD’s Low Income Tax Credit Rules and Regulations”
Q: What is your favorite restaurant?
A: Captain Jack’s in Sunset Beach, California.
Q: Where do you like to take clients to dinner?
A: Todd’s Unique Dining
Q: Where do you work out, or play your favorite sport?
A: Longevity Sports Complex, soccer.
Q: How do you decompress after a hard week?
A: Time with my family and friends, cooking and hanging out.
Q: What is the biggest challenge facing Las Vegas in the next five years?
A: The affordable housing crisis. It touches every aspect of the valley from homelessness, health and safety to workforce security and education. There is a huge shortage of affordable homes for our low-income population. RTSNV has been working diligently over the last 25 years to stem that tide by making critical repairs to homes owned by low-income seniors, veterans and people with disabilities. This allows them to age safely in place and not have to seek shelter elsewhere.
With the rate that our senior population is growing, the issue of affordable housing is also expected to increase. Our local rate of growth for those in the senior age bracket is 46 percent as compared to the national average of 30 percent. A good portion of those seniors are living on just Social Security, which puts them in the low-income bracket as well. When you combine that data with the increase of the median home price (topping $300,000 again) it really shows how the crisis is at the tipping point.
Most of the “affordable homes” that are being offered are in neighborhoods where there are few jobs and the schooling isn’t up to par with higher income areas. RTSNV will be working closely, first with the city of Henderson, then with the other municipalities, to build affordable homes in strategically located parcels that will give the low-income clients an affordable place to live while also giving them access to better schooling and upward mobile jobs.
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