CPD’s Housing Justice Campaign is supporting Make the Road Nevada in drafting a White Paper on the affordable housing crisis across the state. Make the Road Nevada's members are facing evictions and rising rents. Nevada is ground zero for the affordable housing crisis–the state is ranked worst in the nation at providing affordable housing to struggling working families.

Forty-five percent of people in Nevada rent, and the number is slightly higher in the city of Las Vegas, at 48% renters, among whom  20% are acutely low-income. For working Nevadans, the crisis is even more severe with more than 8 in every 10 of such households paying more than half of their income on housing costs.

Unsurprisingly, Nevada’s eviction rate is above the national average with over 13,000 renters evicted in 2016 alone. The vast majority of those took place in Las Vegas, where Make the Road Nevada organizes. Nevada also saw one of the largest increases in homelessness in the last year, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual report. These conditions have repercussions beyond housing policy–many households struggling to pay rent cope by cutting spending on healthcare, food, and other basic necessities, undermining their future ability to recover This is particularly acute in households with children.

To respond to this threat, Make the Road Nevada is working with a broad coalition across the state for an economic justice agenda that includes rent control regulation, protecting tenants, and reducing evictions during the 2019 legislative session, in addition to advocating for paid sick days and a higher minimum wage. Make the Road Nevada has been canvassing their members, and rent and evictions are top issues facing their community. According to Make the Road Nevada members, the rent is high and wages aren't catching up. As plans for the Raiders stadium in Las Vegas continue, many members feel this campaign is essential to protecting their community, which is at risk of displacement. Make the Road Nevada members are going to be powerfully organizing for rent control, along with their economic justice priorities, to protect their communities against rising rents, speculative and corporate landlords, and eviction.