SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
At their meeting yesterday, Washoe County Commissioners accepted a $400,000 grant from the State of Nevada Housing Division to support a $1.7 million federal grant accepted by the Board on May 24th. These funds will be used to help at-risk families in the County’s Social Services program by providing affordable, stable housing and, as a result, reunite families.
Washoe County Social Services has been selected to receive Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in its third round of grant funding (NSP3), in the amount of $1,735,918.
The Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) is pursuant to the authority of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. State and local governments can use their NSP grants to acquire property; to demolish or rehabilitate properties and/or offer down payment and closing cost assistance to low- to moderate-income homebuyers (household incomes not exceeding the 120 percent of area median income).
Washoe County’s NSP3 program focuses on rehabilitating 9 foreclosed multi-family units through local partnerships that include the Reno Housing Authority and both the Cities of Sparks and Reno. The 9 multi-family units will be made available to house a range of different clients currently being served by Social Services.
“Washoe County is very excited to receive these first-time funds, so we can help families identified through social services to stay in their homes. These funds will support our efforts to reverse the effects of foreclosed properties and provide resources for those in our community in need of housing,” says Kevin Schiller, Director of Washoe County Social Services.
One of the common barriers for reunifying existing Social Services clients with their children is often affordable housing and this grant will support Social Services efforts to accomplish that reunification goal of affordable housing.
