LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As our community continues to fight for more affordable housing, home builders are placing a focus on more low-cost housing options.
Nevada HAND, a nonprofit building and managing dozens of affordable housing complexes in our valley.
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The nonprofit held a grand opening for another new community Monday, this time in the southwest valley at the intersection of Buffalo Drive and Cactus Avenue.
It's called the Buffalo Cactus Senior Apartments and is for those 55 years or older. It's designed to help our most vulnerable in the community.
New residents tell me, communities like this one are needed in our valley.
“I had to wait for three years to get into one because every one I called was full," said Mellaknese Moore who just signed her lease at Buffalo Cactus Senior Apartments Monday.
It's a struggle we've heard about from many of you, and one that just came to an end for Moore.
"My apartment is beautiful, I just got to figure out how to decorate it. But, the ambiance, walking into the door was so welcoming," said Moore.
Buffalo Cactus Senior Apartments is the newest Nevada HAND affordable complex.
The nonprofit's Director of Property Management, Nive Isable tells me they have a lot to offer at this property.
“We currently have 1 and 2 bedrooms that we are leasing for our residents here," said Isabel. “We actually have amenities as far as laundry facilities, we have a dog park, we have a garden, a pool & a spa, a library, we have a bunch of amenities here to keep our residents occupied."
I first visited the site of this new affordable apartment complex in January 2024. That's when the site was just an empty dirt lot.
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Now, this complex has a total of 125 units, all but 10 are leased out.
To qualify for one of the apartments, you'll have to make between 30% - 60% of the Las Vegas average median income (AMI).
What that means is you need to earn between $21,450 and $42,840 per year to qualify, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's FY 2025 Adjusted Home Income Limits chart. This is the income limit for 1 person.
The rent for an apartment at this location will be based on your income. It will cost anywhere between $573 to $1,377 per month.
“It’s hard for them to afford low affordable housing out there," said Isabel. "Without the low affordable housing here in Nevada, a lot of them wouldn’t have anywhere to stay.”
Moore says communities like this one can help so many people in our valley.
“When I first got here I drove the routed transportation bus," said Moore. "At least two times a week I would drive Las Vegas Boulevard and every night I would go home and cry like a baby because there were women and children sleeping on the ground, so it would really be needed.
This is just one of the many properties that Nevada HAND has built and operated in our valley. They tell me they have over 1,700 affordable units currently in the works, hoping to bring more communities like this one to our area.
However, this nonprofit is not the only organization or company building homes in Las Vegas. Several have a focus on bringing better more affordable homes to our valley.
Just this year, the Governor's bill AB 540 was signed into law, bringing more than $100 Million to build attainable housing across Nevada.
For more information on how the money will be distributed, click here.