Reno receiving $3.5 million in federal funds to tackle affordable housing and homelessness

RENO, Nev. (News 4 & FOX 11) — Acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Adrianne Todman, announced $3.5 million of federal funds will be coming to Reno to address affordable housing and homelessness. This is part of a $5.5 billion nation-wide investment by the Biden-Harris Administration, of which a total of $44 million will be coming to Nevada.

"If we have one homeless family, that's one homeless family too much," said Acting Secretary Todman. "I go to small rural areas where they only may have eight or ten people who are sleeping on the streets --so it's relative to where you are--but the way I look at it, the way that the Biden-Harris Administration looks at it is we want to help every single family whether it's one or thousands, that we might have in other parts of the country."

These Emergency Solutions Grant program funds (ESG) will help communities overcome barriers to housing by boosting rental assistance, deposit assistance, and transitional housing opportunities for our most vulnerable.

Last year HOME funds, which is another type of federal funding allowed the City of Reno to develop more than 650 affordable housing units in Washoe County including Marvel Way Apartments, Copper Mesa Apartments, Arvada Senior Apartments, The Ridge at Sun Valley, and Sage Apartments.

In Washoe County's last Point in Time (PIT) count in January 2024, the county identified 1,760 people experiencing homelessness, which is a slight increase from last year. However, monthly year-over-year comparisons show there has been an overall decrease in the number of homeless people in Washoe County, according to the study.