To meet the growing need for housing and services for lower-income seniors, NeighborWorks network organization Nevada HAND (Housing and Neighborhood Development) is developing its latest senior housing development, the Buffalo Cactus Senior Apartments, in Las Vegas. When it opens in mid-2025, this senior living community will provide 125 new affordable housing units for seniors with annual incomes between 30% and 60% of the area median income. Amenities will include a community room, pool, exercise and fitness center, outdoor recreation areas and free shuttle transportation.
The Buffalo Cactus development is one of many communities the organization built and manages. Nevada HAND is the state’s largest developer, builder and manager of affordable rental homes for seniors with low incomes and working families. Its portfolio includes 36 communities with more than 5,000 apartments that are home to more than 8,200 residents. Of those communities, 23 are geared toward seniors, 11 are for families and two are assisted living facilities.
Nevada HAND calls its approach to housing “More than a Home.” Its communities offer supportive, on-site resident services designed around four pillars: education, health and wellness, economic stability and engagement. Wally Swenson, vice president, corporate affairs at Nevada HAND explains, “Some people just need a safe, stable place to live, and other people need more.” The organization works with several partner organizations to meet residents’ needs in each community.
“Some areas were food deserts,” Swenson explains, referring to areas where people have limited access to healthful and affordable food. “There weren’t dollars earmarked for that, so we went out and we received an anonymous $2 million donation to open what we call Senior Choice Food Pantries at seven of our communities.”
The organization also received a grant from the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada to support its transportation services. Every Nevada HAND senior community has access to free, reliable shuttle transportation.
Nevada HAND is a Certified Organization for Resident Engagement & Services (CORES), a rigorous national certification that recognizes an organization’s commitment to the highest standards for resident services. “Our approach to resident services is very individualized – there’s not one solution for everyone, says Swenson. “We meet them where they’re at, individually.”
Swenson stresses the importance of the social activities at Nevada HAND communities. These include a walking club, crafts, bingo, movement classes, education and informal meet-ups. He says social engagement is invaluable. “For seniors, that is a huge part of helping independence and wellbeing last longer.” School children and elected officials alike come out to call bingo games.
Residents also meet up for exercise though some, like long-time athlete Jyme Cates, work out on their own. “It brings my mood up” to be active every day, Cates says.
Support from NeighborWorks
Swenson says NeighborWorks America supports the organization’s work “in many, many ways.” Jodie Wilkerson, the organization’s assistant director of communication, agrees.
“NeighborWorks has been a long-term source of significant, stable annual funding, and that has helped our organization grow quickly, but responsibly,” she says. “Those general operating grants help ensure sustainability across the day-to-day operations so that we can, in turn, invest every possible dollar into creating greater opportunity. It has impacted the trajectory of Nevada HAND’s growth.”
“The funding is critically important,” Swenson adds. “But it’s so much more than that.” He mentions NeighborWorks’ peer-to-peer learning events and trainings that allow Nevada HAND to meet with and learn from others.
Wilkerson recalls a recent Western Region Leadership Convening, which offered an opportunity for NeighborWorks network members from western states to share innovations, challenges and solutions. “Events like that foster the type of connection that would not happen without NeighborWorks,” she says.
The NeighborWorks Executive Symposium, an annual meeting of NeighborWorks network member senior staff, offers Nevada HAND a similar learning opportunity. Swenson also noted the NeighborWorks Achieving Excellence Program, a highly selective program for executive-level leaders that is offered in partnership with Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Audra Hamernik, Nevada HAND’s president and CEO, shares things she’s learned through the program with her leadership team.
Says Wilkerson: “We are the leader in Nevada; we’re often the expert voice that everyone in this region is turning to … but we also need to learn and compare notes and share knowledge with other people who know this particular business.” NeighborWorks provides that opportunity.
Housing for seniors
Nevada HAND is not alone among NeighborWorks network organizations providing senior housing. Of the nearly 250 organizations in the network, 140 own or operate a total of 897 properties targeted to populations that include seniors, totaling more than 51,400 units.
Many network organizations provide senior services as well. Twenty-eight organizations provide health and wellness services, which may include assistance with securing healthcare services and resources, support to reduce social isolation, health programming and more. Seven provide long-term supportive housing assistance, which may include assistance with integrating into the community, building independent living and tenancy skills, or connections to community-based healthcare.
Twenty-one NeighborWorks network organizations help people prepare wills, and help people resolve property inheritance issues or contact qualified legal support to pass property on to the next generation.
This type of comprehensive approach is critical to keeping seniors vibrant and independent for as long as possible. According to Swenson, “our supportive resident services program, with professional coordinators located on-site in each community, connects residents to critical resources that help them lead happier, healthier, more stable and successful lives.”
