New $51M affordable-housing project opens in Henderson

Nevada’s largest affordable-housing developer has opened a new complex in Henderson for low-income tenants.

And, for its first time, the builder set up a program to have people aging out of foster care move in.

Nevada HAND held a grand-opening ceremony Wednesday for Sunrise Ranch, a 144-unit apartment complex along Boulder Highway just north of Galleria Drive. It consists of several buildings on a nearly 8-acre, triangular plot, and features a computer lab, fitness center, covered parking, library, and playground.

According to a news release, the roughly $51 million development obtained financing through numerous government agencies.

These include the state of Nevada’s Home Means Nevada initiative, Clark County’s Community Housing Fund, and the cities of Henderson and Las Vegas.

Plus, the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority awarded 33 project-based vouchers to the complex, the developer said.

Nevada HAND spokeswoman Jodie Wilkerson said the new community is almost fully leased, adding management has been renting out units in buildings as they open.

With the bulk of its population in the Las Vegas area — a tourism-dependent region heavy on lower-earning service-sector jobs — Nevada has long needed a bigger supply of affordable housing.

Early last year, the Kenny Guinn Center for Policy Priorities reported that Nevada was grappling with a “severe housing affordability crisis,” as nearly half of the state’s renters were “excessively cost-burdened” and income growth had “lagged far behind housing costs.”

Nevada HAND is the largest affordable-housing developer in the state, with 38 communities that house more than 8,300 people.

Wilkerson, however, confirmed that one aspect of Sunrise Ranch is a first for the nonprofit builder.

According to a news release, the property includes units set aside for young adults who are aging out of foster care, and Clark County’s social services department, through its Step-Up program, has dedicated on-site offices at Sunrise Ranch to help these tenants.

Wilkerson said that up to 60 units in the complex carry a preference for such renters.

Contact Eli Segall at [email protected] or 702-383-0342.