Program helps 1,000th teacher buy home in state

A middle school teacher on Wednesday became the 1,000th teacher to use the Nevada Housing Division’s Home is Possible for Teachers down payment assistance program to purchase a home.

Shane Dolliver teaches at Grant Sawyer Middle School in Las Vegas, while his wife, Samantha King, works as a police dispatcher for the Clark County School District.

The couple received special recognition from Gov. Steve Sisolak and the Nevada Housing Division to mark the occasion.

“Congratulations to Shane on being the one-thousandth teacher to use this program,” Sisolak said. “We know that helping teachers achieve home ownership helps cement that connection with the community. It is teachers like Shane who truly embody this state’s battle-born spirit and bring inspiration into our education system.”

Sisolak was joined virtually by CCSD Chief of Staff Christopher Bernier, Grant Sawyer Middle School Principal Gregory Mingo and NHD Administrator Stephen Aichroth to present the couple with a special commendation, a personalized name plaque for their new home and an Apple gift card.

“The NHD program helped immensely in taking some of the pressure off of a stressful process in an incredibly difficult year,” Dolliver said. “My wife and I are honored by both the presentation and all who attended. We are grateful and blessed to be able to strengthen our roots in our community and the state we love so much.”

The Home Is Possible For Teachers program was created in 2014 as a way to thank Nevada teachers for their dedication to the next generation.

The program is available for licensed, full-time, K-12 public school classroom teachers with a household income below $98,500. It includes a below-market, fixed interest rate 30-year loan, as well as $7,500 in bonus money that can be used for down payment and closing costs and is forgivable after five years if the teacher remains in the home.

“While we have always valued teachers and their contributions to our state, this seems extra important to do this year,” Aichroth said. “The pandemic has forced these valuable front-line employees to pivot in ways we couldn’t have imagined as recently as a year ago.”

For more information on the HIP For Teachers program, visit www.homeispossiblenv.org/program/home-possible-teachers