HENDERSON (KTNV) — A new affordable housing complex in Henderson is dedicating 60 of its 144 units to young adults aging out of the foster care system.
The Sunrise Ranch Apartments, right off Broadbent Boulevard, offer nearly 150 new apartments, with 60 of them set aside for young adults who have aged out of foster care. I spoke with the developers at Nevada Hand and with one young woman who finally has a place to call her own.
So far, 35 young adults from foster care have moved into the Sunrise Ranch Apartments, according to the property owners, Nevada Hand.
WATCH| Henderson housing complex sets aside 60 units for foster youth
Laajhanae Jones is one of them.
"It feels really good," Jones said. "I'm very thankful, also, to come from, you know, kind of struggling to not struggling and being worry-free."
Jones is part of "Step Up," a program Clark County provides to help kids who have aged out of foster care. The program assists young adults in applying for jobs and housing and also provides stipends for living expenses.
Clark County's extended foster care program started in July 2025. About 400 of the youth it serves are between the ages of 18 and 21 each year, and roughly 100 of them turn 21 annually.
Jones' social worker, Adriona Smith, heard about the 60 available units at Sunrise Ranch and immediately started working to get Jones into one of them.
"A lot of paperwork. But the ultimate goal was getting her in there," Smith said.
According to the Clark County foster care system, there are about 3,000 kids in the foster care system on a given day. I asked the county how many foster children age out of the system every year, but I didn't get an answer by deadline. I did find out through Olive Crest — a local nonprofit that helps foster kids escape child abuse and get on their feet — that 60% of children who phase out of foster care end up homeless, going from shelters to couch surfing.
Smith told me having a community like Sunrise Ranch is vital for them.
"I'm very housing first," Smith said. "Nothing starts without it."
Jones told me she can now focus on school without having to worry about where she will sleep at night. She said she is working to finish getting her diploma, something she wasn't really able to do before.
Nevada Hand is the developer of this affordable housing complex. President and CEO Audra Hammernik told me dedicating 60 of its 144 units to young adults from foster care was intentional.
"We learned about Step Up, and we learned about the need for foster kids aging out, we're like, okay, we're all in," Hammernik said.
Developers say they are still looking to fill 25 more units designated for young adults aging out of foster care.
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