April is now Fair Housing Month in Nevada

Thursday, March 22, 2007

By Crystal D. Hancock

Nevada Daily Mail

As made official by Nevada Mayor Jim Rayburn Tuesday night, the month of April is now officially Fair Housing Month in the city of Nevada. Although many local citizens are not aware of it, the Housing Authority of Nevada continues to be very busy in fulfilling its promotion of the general welfare of the area housing situation.

As stated in the mayor's proclamation, for more than 70 years it has been the policy of our nation, under the U.S. Housing Act to promote the general welfare of the nation by employing its funds and credit to assist the several states and their political subdivisions to remedy the unsafe and unsanitary housing conditions and the acute shortage of decent, safe and sanitary dwellings for families of lower income. According to current estimates, on any given night, there are nearly 755,000 homeless nationwide and up to 3.5 million persons who experience homelessness at some point throughout the year.

According to the National Low-Income Housing Coalitions "Out of Reach" report, minimum wage earners are unable to afford even a one-bedroom home anywhere in the country and 88 percent of renters in cities live in areas where the fair market rent for a two-bedroom rental is not affordable even with two minimum wage incomes. Public housing is home to more than two million people, more than 40 percent of whom are children, and currently receives federal funding at less than 83 percent of need.

It is because of statistics like these that the Housing Authority of Nevada has joined with affordable industry partners across the country in supporting the Housing America 2007 campaign, which aims to educate decision makers and the general public about the importance of affordable housing and community development programs, as well as the challenges facing these programs. The campaign runs from March 26 - April 9. The housing authority will be working to promote their programs and activities during this time and throughout the month of April.

Housing America 2007 is spearheaded by the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, a membership organization of 21,000 housing and community development agencies and professionals, along with 12 other partner organizations standing in support of housing and community development interests.

For more information or to see what citizens of the area can do to help, please contact executive director of the Nevada Housing Authority, Carol Branham at (417) 448-2730.

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