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Veterans worried about rising costs at complex

Posted at 7:05 PM, Feb 27, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-27 23:41:19-05
Some Las Vegas veterans are feeling anxiety about where they are going to live. 
 
Siena Suites, an extended-stay hotel on Boulder Highway near Russell Road, takes part in a federal program known as Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing. VASH provides veterans with vouchers to help them pay rent. 
 
“We deserve this. We earned it,” said Michael Rose who benefits from VASH. 
 
Rose said he’s enjoyed his two years living at Siena Suites and has built a bond with other veterans there.
 
However, he recently started to notice his neighbors moving out. 
 
“A lot of them are kind of hurt by it because a lot of veterans don’t want to move,” he said. 
 
13 Action News went to Siena Suites to find out why veterans were leaving. 
 
Management said they’ve always supported veterans, but have had to make changes to its business model to keep up with the improving hotel market in Las Vegas. 
 
Siena Suites is focusing more on its overnight hotel rooms rather than the extended-stay hotel rooms where many of the veterans live. This has led to a decrease in the number of veterans who are able to afford living at Siena Suites. 
 
“It's going to be downhill for some of them,” Rose said. 
 
Residents of Siena Suites said some veterans may have also been denied a renewal of their contracts due to criminal activity or failing to pay the rent. 
 
A spokesman with the Department of Veterans Affairs said case workers will help any veteran who is in need of alternative housing options.