The Barber Brief is an independent e-newsletter and blog written by Dr. Alicia Barber on the Substack platform. It is reposted by This Is Reno with her permission.
If it wasn’t clear before, it’s now indisputable that the housing crisis plaguing many American cities has hit the Reno-Sparks area in full force, with rising costs and limited options affecting residents across the economic spectrum, but especially those with lower incomes and fewer resources. The crisis is apparent in everything from the lack of housing inventory to the rising median price of available homes, skyrocketing rents, and increasing numbers of residents struggling without a roof over their heads.
Reno was mentioned in a New York Times article just yesterday titled “The Next Affordable City Is Already Too Expensive,” which focuses on Spokane but paints a picture that will sound very familiar to Reno residents. And the national Marketplace broadcast featured Reno in a recent piece called “New Reno development highlights the city’s affordable housing shortage”.
On the local level, here’s some recent local coverage (some require subscriptions):
- “Reno median home sales price hits $600,000 for the first time in record-breaking climb” (Reno Gazette-Journal)
- “Raising the roof: Reno rents outpace tenants’ ability to pay” (Reno News & Review)
- “Nevadans grapple with punishing rent hikes even as economy rebounds.” (Nevada Independent)
- “Where is the cheapest rent in Reno?” (Reno Gazette-Journal)
- “Washoe County data shows number of homeless people living on the street has doubled” (Reno Gazette-Journal)
- “Applicants flood waitlists for Reno housing assistance” (This is Reno)
- “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly at Our Shelters” (Our Town Reno)
February 22 City Council meeting on affordable housing
In response to the crisis, the Reno City Council has scheduled a special meeting for tomorrow, Tuesday, February 22 beginning at 10am to specifically focus on affordable housing needs and strategies. You can attend in person or register to watch via Zoom, and access the agenda here.
Presenters will include State Treasurer Zach Conine, who is scheduled to talk about the Nevada State Infrastructure Bank and Affordable Housing Trust. One of the slides from his presentation that was posted in advance lays out some of the challenges facing our community in very stark terms.
Read more on The Barber Brief.
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