Coalition report: There are more unsheltered homeless children in Lyon County than any other rural Nevada county
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Wed, 08/18/2021 - 10:47am
A presentation on homelessness and housing insecurity will be presented to the Lyon County Board of County Commissioners Thursday, including Point in Time Count results regarding homeless issues in Lyon County.
According to the Nevada Housing Coalition, 19 percent of households in the state of Nevada are considered to be “extremely low income,” and Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Nevada is $966, with $808 in Lyon County.
The hourly wage needed to afford a two-bedroom apartment, says NHC, is $18.50.
For Lyon County, local issues and trends include an increased numbers of campers or boondocks, including vehicles, RVs and trailers situated on vacant lands.
Individuals reported they were paying rent to stay on land, and others reported they were paying rent for the RV or camper, even with no hookups, according to NHC.
Regional trends include a low inventory of housing, increasing rent prices, increasing number of individuals with income and/or vouchers who cannot rent due to a lack of inventory, and an increasing number of “working poor.”
According to the report, a “substantial percentage” of renters and homeowners in Lyon County are considered “overburdened,” spending 30 percent or more of their annual income toward housing costs. 12 percent are considered to have severe housing cost burden, spending 50 percent or more of their income on housing.
There is currently a 2-3 year waitlist for low income housing in Lyon County, and costs to maintain available housing continue to increase, according to the report.
There was also an increase in the number of older adults on a fixed income, and individuals with disabilities.
While the Point in Time Count was conducted for 2021, the results could be skewed based on the fact that the count was only done by observation, and no individuals were actually interviewed. The number of individuals counted by this method throughout the county amounted to 42; 20 unsheltered or living on the streets, one being sheltered, and 21 living in motels.
An additional 51 structures were identified as potentially being used by individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness that could not be verified.
In 2019, 85 individuals were reported to be unsheltered, in 2020 98 were reported to be unsheltered, but in 2021 only 20 were reported to be unsheltered.
Fernley had 26 individuals in the count, Stagecoach had 4, Yerington had 14, Silver Springs had 15, Dayton had 10, and Moundhouse had 2, according to the report.
Children experiencing Homelessness
Additionally, the Lyon County School District provided a number of 254 students who were experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.
Of those children, 231 were reported to be “doubled-up,” meaning the children and their families were sharing the housing of other persons and likely do not have legal rights or a lease to ensure their continued housing. Lyon County had the highest number of children “doubled-up” out of all the rurals.
Two were living in a motel, 0 were in sheltered housing, and 21 were living in unsheltered homelessness. Lyon County also had the highest number of children living in unsheltered homelessness of the rurals.
Carson City had the highest number of homeless children overall with 267 reported; 210 were “doubled-up”, 39 were residing in hotels/motels, 8 were in shelters, and 10 were unsheltered.
Service Provided
According to the report, 506 individuals received housing stabilization assistance in 2021 to help prevent homelessness.
145 individuals, including 20 children, received homeless services; 37 of those individuals secured housing.
9 U.S. Military Veterans identified as being homeless, and four of those were successfully housed.
The majority of individuals contacted were between 35 and 44 years in age.
67 percent reported mental health conditions, 86 percent reported a disabling condition, 50 percent reported substance abuse, and 34 percent reported being the victim of domestic violence.
54 percent reported no income, 19 percent reported an income between 500-1000 dollars per month. The most common source of income was SSI/SSDI, with 24 percent of those receiving benefits, and 14 percent received unemployment.
Some “innovative approaches” listed to help these individuals according to the report include:
- SOAR (Social Security Access and Recovery). Increase income source
- Maximize Point In Time Count efforts and outreach to include (BLM, YEPD, Lahontan State Parks, Code Enforcement, and private business sector).
- Increase awareness
- Increase street outreach efforts
- Broaden housing search options to include other low income properties outside of Lyon County, if safe and realistic
- Grant to offer a landlord incentive to new move ins for someone who meets the homeless definition
Challenges listed include:
- Long wait lists, affordability, and lack of housing options
- Strict housing grant guidelines (30 percent AMI and FMR’s)
- Income (vs) housing costs
- Eviction Moratorium impact; No cause evictions
- Property manager requirements
- Harder to serve population (re-entry, mentally ill, fixed income, past criminal offenses, etc.)
Possible solutions included a “regional approach” and “exploring creative solutions with funders, landlords, policy makers, and service providers” but did not specify what those creative solutions could look like, or what type of regional approach could be useful.
The report also stated a possible solution would be to enact policies to increase the availability of affordable housing through subsidies and tax credit programs, zoning, public housing, and land trusts.
Statistics throughout the Rural Counties
Throughout the rurals, not including Clark County or Washoe County, there were 76 individuals experiencing sheltered homelessness comprising of 43 households. 15 households included children.
The majority of those experiencing sheltered homelessness were over the age of 25, and 95 percent were white. 51 percent were female and 47 percent were male. One individual of the 76 is transgender.
Throughout the rural there were also 223 individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness, which were collected through observation-only methods due to COVID-19. In addition to the 223 individuals observed, an additional 217 vehicles or structures were counted that may have been providing temporary shelter to individuals experiencing homelessness.
That means the official count of 223 individuals is likely to be an underrepresentation of the true number of individuals experiencing homelessness throughout rural Nevada, according to the report.
To read the full Point in Time Count report, click here.
The presentation will be given to the Lyon County Board of County Commissioners on their Thursday meeting, which begins at 9 a.m.
To read the agenda in its entirety, including how to access the meeting virtually or in person, please click here.
