Column: No easy answers to housing crisis in Carson City, region

Housing should not be a privilege afforded only by those who can pay for it.

Shelter actually meets the physiological need for warmth as well as the emotional need for safety and security, per renowned American psychologist Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs pyramid.

But here in Northern Nevada, even in Carson City, there has been a very disturbing trend of literally pricing people out of their homes.

That is unacceptable to me, and it's just plain wrong.

I understand the market very well. I know that builders have been struggling to keep the supply of housing up with its soaring region-wide demand.

First, the pain of that squeeze was felt primarily in Reno and Sparks. But now that crunch has spread to surrounding communities like Carson City.

There are several apartment complex projects planned locally, but they are currently still in the permitting process log jam, which I think has more to do with developers trying to keep their costs under control before committing to construction. So many of those have permits that are pending issuance, meaning they are ready, but the permit-holder may not yet be.

Short of purchasing a cheap recreational vehicle with a bed, kitchenette and tiny bathroom — preferably an upgrade from Cousin Eddie's "tenement on wheels" — and renting space in a trailer park, I don't have any answers to what has become a notable crisis in our area.

With a seemingly steady flow of would-be Northern Nevada residents crossing state lines in search of cheaper housing from whence they came, rent and real estate prices have increased sharply.

Remember just a few short years ago when you could all but name your own price on a piece of property and a seller would take your offer?

Those days are gone now. We transitioned very quickly from a buyers market to a sellers market. That's good news if you want to sell your home, but not so good if you are trying to buy one. First-time homebuyers are especially at a disadvantage.

Landlords and property owners have raised rent significantly, even on long-time tenants with excellent track records. If they can't afford the new jacked up rents, then they get suddenly evicted — no questions asked — to make room for those who have the money to pay the "asking price" on leased housing.

The solution is not as simple as "get a better job," either. Some folks are disabled, and their ability to work is clinically limited. Others face the dismal prospect of unilateral career moves in the same industries that typically don't pay well enough to meet expenses, because that's where most of the job openings are.

Simply getting a better job is easier said than done. As one who has run the gamut of unemployment, job retraining and vocational rehabilitation, I know from experience that improving one's wages does not happen overnight. In the mean time, we still have to live, and provide for the basic needs of ourselves and our loved ones.

I spent more than a year going through the motions before finally landing sufficient gainful employment to close my case. Although it has re-opened since then due to medical circumstances, I remain hopeful that yet another solution will present itself.

Now, all of that said, those who face the challenge of paying for even their most basic needs can find and get help, because help does exist.

From community social and human service agencies to employment training organizations — e.g., Nevada Job Connect, JOIN, Inc. and Nevada Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation — there are retraining programs available that are awarded state and federal funds to help those who want to improve themselves and their circumstances.

You might be surprised what you qualify for if you are underemployed — meaning you don't earn enough to meet the definition of gainful employment — or near federal poverty income levels.

But you won't find unless you seek. All it takes is Internet access, a telephone call, or simply visiting a funding agency like those mentioned above to see what you may be eligible for.

Let's be realistic: Not everyone is meant to be an engineer or information technology specialist. Not everyone is meant to be an educator, nurse or other health care professional, either.

Despite the state's big push toward high-tech, health care and education, it's okay to want to do something else. From accounting and bookkeeping to skilled trades — i.e., blue-collar construction trades — there are better-paying industries where jobs are available for those motivated to change their circumstances.

But if you willfully choose an industry that is historically low-paying — i.e., service, hospitality, gaming — then that responsibility rests on you.

Nevada relies a bit too much on the service industry in its largest population centers, which is unfortunate, because that's where the greatest need lay for a living wage.

Some of the highest paying jobs — mining, in particular — exist in mostly rural communities, typically nowhere close to where a majority of Nevadans reside.

But Nevada still has economic promise and the opportunity for broad prosperity, because the state's economy has been growing more diverse with plenty of manufacturing, technology, warehousing and distribution companies being drawn to the Silver State's favorable business tax climate.

It's just not happening fast enough to keep up with the sudden surge of new state residents and their impact on housing availability. Local and state governments were not well prepared for the on-slaught or its burden.

I've got some insight into this, because I moved to Nevada more than 15 years ago from a state suffering from short-sighted policies that turned it from an economy diverse in resource-rich industries into one predominated by service industry jobs.

Essentially, the state went from high-paying blue-collar industries, in which a family could thrive, into a sort of economic oligarchy where comfortable retirees, tourists and a few affluent residents were waited on by a lot of low wage-earning service workers.

The disparity was stark.

I see some similarities here in comparison with my native state, noted now as much for its green beauty as its chronically struggling economy.

Nevada still has an edge, though, because its tax policies are helping to keep the area more economically diverse. The more robust companies and industries we attract, the more living-wage jobs there should be, and logically, the more tax revenue state, county and municipalities ought to collect for infrastructure and essential service funding.

That's much more than I can say about my native state.

I suppose the optimist in me sees a light at the end of the tunnel. Things will work themselves out, as they often do, and somehow we will get through this latest problem, ironically produced by a surge in economic activity.

But that doesn't mean we ought to sit back and wait out the storm, doing nothing to help ourselves and our communities.

I do think something ought to be done to prevent property owners from being able to arbitrarily raise rents to unreasonable levels and systematically evict tenants.

All that does is put more of a strain on our community resources in place to help the needy. The more needy there are, the more resources that get used.

And that means it costs our community, including said property owners, more than need be.

There. I have said my piece on this issue.

I don't have an answer, though, and that's just keeping it real. But I do know we can do things to help ourselves and our communities work through this problem.

It will take both courage and action on our part. If we choose to do nothing and just wait this thing out, then we resign ourselves to accept the status quo, thereby reducing our complaints to meaningless drivel.

I don't know about anyone else, but doing nothing isn't good enough for me. I haven't lasted this long with a typically progressive disease by doing nothing.

This is an election season, and we are just a few months away from the next biennial legislative session.

I encourage you to press your state and federal representatives for more action and less talk on our housing crisis. Don't accept their rhetorical promises. Insist they show their support of the districts they represent.

Change happens when we do. Do nothing and, well, you know that already.