Over the past 25 years, Nevada HAND has grown to become the largest nonprofit developer in the state, creating 33 properties with 4,400 affordable housing units and serving over 7,300 residents.
The organization was founded in 1993 to provide housing solutions for Southern Nevada’s rapidly growing population. But as the need for affordable housing continues to grow—the Las Vegas metro area has only 10 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income renter households, according to The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes 2018 by the National Low Income Housing Coalition—Nevada HAND is deepening its impact.
“We’re really seen by the community as a leader in solving this problem,” says Mike Shohet, chief real estate development officer.
By 2025, the nonprofit aims to develop, acquire, and preserve an additional 8,000 units. It also will explore how it can serve a broader demographic experiencing housing instability—from permanent supportive housing for extremely low-income households to housing for families earning 80% to 120% of the area median income.
Last year, Nevada HAND opened three new communities, including the Boulder Pines Community Campus, a family development that’s co-located with a Boys & Girls Club and Lutheran Social Services of Nevada and is adjacent to a charter school in Las Vegas.
The nonprofit also partnered with Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority to replace an obsolete public housing complex for seniors as part of the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative for the city of North Las Vegas. Seniors moved into the 120-unit Rose Gardens at the end of the year.
“2018 was a big year for us, but 2019 and 2020 are shaping up to be even better years,” adds Shohet.
