Carson City, NV -
December 24, 2014Nevada
Department of Business and Industry Director Bruce Breslow announced that the
Nevada Housing Division has been named the Department’s 2014 Agency of the
Year. The award was presented to
Administrator CJ Manthe and agency staff in recognition of the agency’s
accomplishments that have positively impacted thousands of Nevadans.
“The Housing Division has undergone a
complete rebuild and modernization in order to help a much larger number of
Nevada families,” said Bruce Breslow, Director of the Department of
Business and Industry. “I salute CJ and
her outstanding team of professionals for creating several new programs that
make a difference in people’s ability to afford a home.”
Established
by the Nevada Legislature in 1975, the Nevada Housing Division is the State’s
housing finance agency. The Division was created to encourage the investment of
private capital and stimulate the funding of affordable housing through the use
of public financing to develop safe, decent and sanitary housing for low-income
individuals and families throughout the state.
In
2014, the Division awarded $6.4 million in housing tax credits to fund 10
projects to develop or revitalize 618 affordable housing units, which bring the
total number of units funded by Division programs to 25,000 since inception. According
to the Division, the economic impact of the construction related expenditures from
the awarded 2014 tax credits will translate to 778 jobs and new labor income of
more than $42 million.
Under
the leadership of Administrator CJ Manthe, the agency has expanded existing
programs and introduced new programs to benefit homebuyers, seniors, veterans,
and low income individuals and families. “It
is so rewarding for our team when we help Nevada families achieve their
homeownership dream. Our goal next year is to help more than 2,000 Nevadan’s
make that dream come true,” said Manthe.
Key
initiatives and new or expanded programs include:
- Home
is Possible, a new homebuyer down payment
assistance program introduced this year that has tripled the number of
families achieving homeownership through Division programs.
- NVHousingSearch.org,
an online housing search tool containing a database of thousands of
affordable and market rate rental properties available throughout the
state.
- Veterans programs and
initiatives including Home is
Possible for Heroes, a homebuyer program which provides below-market
interest rate mortgage loans for veterans, and dedicated tax credit
funding allocations to construct a veteran’s housing facility with
supportive services.
- Partnered with Nevada Rural
Housing Authority to expand the Mortgage
Tax Credit Certificate Program to Clark and Washoe counties, which can
provide homeowners annual federal tax savings of approximately $2,000 per
year.
- Partnered with the Governor’s Office of
Energy to establish the Home Energy
Retrofit Opportunities for Seniors (HEROS) weatherization program to
provide free energy efficiency services for low income seniors.
In addition to program enhancements, the agency has
greatly improved public communication and awareness of agency initiatives
through the launch of a new website, social media outreach and proactive news
releases.
To
view the proclamation and award, please visit www.business.nv.gov. To learn more about the Nevada Housing
Division, please visit www.housing.nv.gov.
About
the Department of Business and Industry
The Department of Business and
Industry is a cabinet level agency in Nevada State government. Our objective is
to encourage and promote the development and growth of business and to ensure
the legal operation of business in order to protect consumers by maintaining a
fair and competitive regulatory environment. The Director’s office manages a
number of programs and initiatives to address the needs of small businesses,
homeowners and consumers including small business advocacy, bond programs,
access to capital, housing retention programs, constituent services and fraud
prevention and education.
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