section dividers - City of Las Vegas

Objective 2: Provide Affordable HousingThe City of Las Vegas Comprehensive Affordable Housing Strategy: 1992 - 1996 (CHAS)documents the need for affordable housing in Las Vegas. For West Las Vegas, there is a greatneed for affordable housing. Based on income figures from the 1990 census, many areas ofthis community have a very high percentage of low to moderate income households. On MapH-C, the areas in the lighter orange have between 60 and 69 percent of the households in thelow to moderate income categories. In the darker orange areas, 70 to 79 percent of thehouseholds fall into the low to moderate income range. Moderate income households arethose which are at 80% of the Las Vegas area median family income ($35,500) and low incomehouseholds are those that are at 50% of the Las Vegas area median family income. Housingaffordabilty for each of these income categories is estimated in Figure H-7.Figure H-7:Estimated Housing Affordability Based on MedianLow and Moderate Income Levels City of Las Vegas, 1990Housing that is considered affordable is housing which does not require a household to spendmore than 30% of their income towards their housing costs. As figure H-7 notes, affordable rentfor a moderate income family (80% of median income) in Las Vegas in 1989 1 was $706 permonth and affordable rent for a low income family (50% of median income) was $441. When1 The median income is taken from the 1990 Census but the data for the census was collected in 1989.New ‘Affordable’ housing54 Housing