Nevada senators announce grants for public housing

Nevada U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen announced $2,066,187 from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help residents living in public housing in Las Vegas and Reno during the coronavirus pandemic.

The grant funding, which was included in the CARES Act, has been allocated to the Reno Housing Authority and the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority.

“Public housing authorities play a vital role in our community by offering housing assistance to individuals who are particularly vulnerable, including low-income individuals, seniors and persons with disabilities,” the senators said in a statement. “This additional grant money will allow our Nevada PHAs to better respond to this pandemic, which has significantly increased the need for public housing, by increasing resources to protect and assist residents and staff. We’ll continue fighting for additional funding to protect the health and well-being of all Nevadans during this public health crisis.”

The CARES Act funding will provide $195,525 to the City of Reno Housing Authority and $1,870,662 to the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority. These funds, allocated through the Public Housing Operating Fund, can be used by public housing authorities to prepare for a coronavirus outbreak, prevent a coronavirus outbreak and respond to a coronavirus outbreak.

More specifically, funds can go to create or update an infectious disease outbreak plan, sourcing and purchasing personal protective equipment for PHA staff, child care costs for residents so they can continue to work and other “reasonable expenses” related to preparing for an outbreak.

The grants can fund preventative measures, such as costs related to maintaining adequate social distancing, including modifying or limiting access to communal spaces, increasing service hours to prevent crowding in waiting areas or any other costs incurred to ensure adequate distance among staff and residents; costs of delivering supplies so that staff or residents can shelter in place, thereby reducing exposure to the greatest number of people; direct costs related to limiting the spread of the coronavirus, including travel costs for testing, or other preventive health measures related to coronavirus.

In addition, expenses of isolating people suspected of being exposed and those at high risk of serious complications and the payment of salaries of PHA staff unable to work because of coronavirus-related public health restrictions also can be funded through the grants.

Money also will be available to cover expenses of caring for PHA staff and residents who have tested positive, but do not require immediate hospitalization; expenses to safely transport residents/staff in need of medical attention; expenses incurred because of coronavirus restrictions impacting PHA operations; costs to facilitate and coordinate with local schools and local governments receiving funds from the Department of Education for the education of students in public housing; and other reasonable expenses incurred while responding to the coronavirus.