People are working, sacrificing and doing everything society told them to do—yet a safe and stable place to live continues moving beyond reach.
Raise Your Voice: Topic to Follow
Housing Crisis:
Working—But Still Priced Out
In many communities, ordinary two- and three-bedroom homes are being listed at prices working families cannot reasonably afford. Renters are also facing higher monthly payments, deposits, application fees, utilities and insurance costs.
People are working.
People are sacrificing.
People are doing what society told them to do—and still cannot afford a home.
This crisis affects renters, first-time buyers, older adults, people with disabilities, young families and workers who can no longer afford to live in the communities they serve.
Housing should be about people—not excessive profit.
The Foundation of Stability
A Home Should Not Be a Luxury
A home is more than a financial investment. It is the foundation from which people build their health, employment, education, families and futures.
Safety
Shelter protects people from danger, severe weather, illness and the instability of living without a secure place to rest.
Stability
Stable housing supports employment, education, medical care, family unity and consistent participation in community life.
Opportunity
A secure home gives families an opportunity to save, recover from hardship and build financial security across generations.
What We Must Examine
What Is Driving the Housing Crisis?
There is no single cause. Conditions differ between communities, but several pressures and policy decisions demand closer examination.
Housing Costs Are Outpacing Local Wages
Some households earn too much to qualify for assistance but still earn too little to purchase a home or comfortably pay local rent.
Starter Homes Are Disappearing
First-time buyers are competing for a limited supply of modest homes, while much new construction is priced beyond their reach.
Renters Are Carrying an Unsustainable Burden
Rent, deposits, fees and utilities can consume so much income that little remains for food, transportation, healthcare or emergencies.
Investors Can Compete With Residents
Properties purchased for investment portfolios, speculative resale or short-term rental use may reduce the homes available to local residents.
“Affordable” Does Not Always Mean Affordable
Housing may be marketed as affordable while remaining inaccessible to teachers, drivers, caregivers, service workers, older adults and families.
Public Incentives Require Public Accountability
When developers receive tax benefits, grants, public land or zoning concessions, communities deserve enforceable affordability commitments.
Ongoing Coverage
What Raise Your Voice Will Follow
- Home prices and rental increases
- The availability of modest starter homes
- Local wages compared with housing costs
- Corporate and institutional ownership
- Vacant investment properties
- Short-term rentals and housing availability
- Evictions and alleged illegal lockouts
- Tenant protections and habitability concerns
- Foreclosures and mortgage-servicing problems
- Housing discrimination
- Planning, zoning and development decisions
- Public subsidies awarded to developers
- First-time homebuyer assistance
- Homelessness and emergency shelter capacity
- Housing near major employment centers
- Whether new units remain affordable long term
Demand Clear Answers
Questions We Will Ask
Raise Your Voice will ask elected officials, housing agencies, developers and decision-makers:
- How many homes in this community are affordable to people earning local wages?
- What income is required to rent or purchase the housing currently being built?
- How is “affordable housing” being defined?
- How many newly constructed units will remain affordable long term?
- Are corporations or institutional investors purchasing a significant share of available homes?
- Are short-term rentals reducing the supply of long-term housing?
- What protections exist for tenants facing displacement or sudden rent increases?
- What is being done to prevent avoidable eviction and homelessness?
- Are public incentives being awarded without enforceable affordability requirements?
- Are development decisions meeting the needs of residents or primarily serving investment interests?
Do not accept “We are building more housing” as a complete answer. Ask: Who will actually be able to afford it?
Nevada Housing Resources
Know Who to Call
These resources may help Nevada residents locate housing assistance, receive legal information, find housing counseling or report suspected housing discrimination. Eligibility and available services may vary.
Rent, Shelter and Housing Assistance
Nevada 211
Connects Nevada residents with housing, emergency shelter, rental-assistance and other community resources.
Call: 211
Alternative: 1-866-535-5654
Text: Send your ZIP code to 898211
State Housing Programs
Nevada Housing Division
Contact the division for information about state housing, homebuyer and affordable-housing programs.
Toll-free: 1-800-227-4960
Carson City: 775-684-2941
Email: [email protected]
Eviction and Tenant Concerns
Nevada Legal Services
May assist qualifying residents with eviction notices, illegal lockouts, habitability concerns and landlord disputes.
Main office: 702-386-0404
Toll-free: 1-866-432-0404
Reno office: 775-284-3491
Reno Tenants’ Rights Center: 775-284-3491, extension 316
Homebuying and Foreclosure Counseling
HUD-Approved Housing Counseling
HUD-approved counselors may provide guidance concerning homebuying, mortgage difficulties, foreclosure prevention and renting.
Call: 1-800-569-4287
Suspected Housing Discrimination
HUD Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
Contact HUD to learn how to report suspected housing discrimination under federal fair-housing protections.
Call: 1-800-669-9777
Long-Term Policy Change
Contact Government Representatives
Contact your mayor, city council, county commissioners, planning department, state legislators, governor and members of Congress.
Hold Decision-Makers Accountable
What to Say When You Contact Officials
Ask for a written response to this question:
What specific action are you taking to ensure that people who work in this community can afford to live here?
Ask for Specifics
- What will the new housing cost?
- What income will a household need to qualify?
- How much public money or property is involved?
- How many units will be genuinely affordable?
- How long will affordability requirements remain?
- What enforcement applies if promises are not fulfilled?
Prepare Your Records
Before You Call
Gather the records that apply to your situation. Clear documentation can help agencies and advocates understand what happened.
- Lease or rental agreement
- Eviction or termination notice
- Court paperwork
- Rent receipts and payment records
- Mortgage statements
- Notices of rent increases
- Emails and text messages
- Photographs of unsafe conditions
- Written repair requests
- Housing-denial letters
- Identification and proof of income
- Names, dates and reference numbers from prior calls
Record the date, time, organization, representative’s name and every case or reference number. Keep copies of everything you submit.
Our Position
We Will Listen to Every Side—and Follow the Facts
Raise Your Voice does not believe every landlord, builder, lender or property owner is responsible for the housing crisis. Many small housing providers also face rising insurance, maintenance, financing, tax and construction costs.
Those realities cannot prevent us from confronting a system in which people work full time and still cannot afford shelter.
We Will
- Listen to residents and housing providers
- Examine policies individually
- Distinguish legitimate costs from exploitation
- Identify who benefits from each decision
We Will Demand
- Transparent housing decisions
- Enforceable affordability commitments
- Responsible use of public incentives
- Policies that protect human dignity
A home is shelter. A home is stability. A home is a foundation—not a luxury.
Real People. Real Stories. Real Change.
Share Your Housing Story
Have you been priced out, displaced, denied housing, affected by a sudden rent increase, placed on an endless waiting list, threatened with an illegal lockout or prevented from living near your workplace?
Your experience may reveal a larger problem affecting your entire community.