‘Ridiculous’ rent increases leave Las Vegas tenants struggling to find affordable housing

Ozzy Mora
·2 min read
271

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Thousands of people in the Las Vegas valley are struggling to make rent as experts say the lack of available affordable housing is verging the level of crisis.

Cynthia Gill, a 59-year-old woman on disability, is one of many struggling in the housing market. She said she had no choice but to move out of the apartment she had lived in for the last eight years. As Gill searches for a new place to live, she said she feels frustrated with the continued rejection from the apartments for which she applies.

“If I don’t make three times the amount and I’m on social security disability, where can I afford to pay rent every month without fail,” Gill asked aloud. “Would I still be able to qualify and move in?”

Cynthia Gill, a 59-year-old woman on disability, is one of many struggling in the housing market. (KLAS)
Cynthia Gill, a 59-year-old woman on disability, is one of many struggling in the housing market. (KLAS)

The answer, it seems, is no. The 59-year-old said she can no longer pay rent on top of other living expenses. “I’ve always paid rent on time. I never had any complaints about me. I help out the neighbors,” Gill said. “What am I going to do?”

Gill is not the only one facing a housing dilemma. According to Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, the organization now sees 200 to 300 people monthly. The organization’s Navigation Center connects those struggling with resources to help them avoid homelessness.

Gill is one of thousands trying to survive on social security income. AARP reports that 566,000 Nevadans receive benefits, and close to 77,000 are on social security disability, which pays about $1,560 a month. According to apartments.com, the lower end of the average rent on a one-bedroom apartment in Las Vegas is $1,240 a month, which means that to make payments, not including utilities and food, an individual would need to make about $44,640 a year.

Gill says her rent started at $978 per month before shooting up to $1,400. “The rent increase in Nevada is ridiculous,” she said. “I would have to sell everything that I have. I don’t know what I would do.”

Gill says she has been communicating with social services, but she will be forced to move out of her home by the end of March.

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