January 3, 2023  

Tonopah, Nevada: Rehabilitated Affordable Housing Contributes to a Frontier Town’s Revitalization

HUD User publishes a series of case studies based on federal, state, and local strategies that increase affordable housing opportunities and support sustainable community development. The projects and community development efforts featured in these reports have demonstrated innovation through a multitude of partnerships and initiatives.

Despite its small population, the town of Tonopah, Nevada, has ongoing revitalization efforts that support economic growth and improve quality of life. One such effort is the Nevada Rural Housing Authority’s (NRHA) acquisition and consolidation of two of the town’s three low-income housing properties to create Desert Properties. To upgrade the 56 units of affordable housing, NRHA used funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Multifamily Housing Preservation and Revitalization program, which ensured the housing would remain affordable for an additional 50 years. As the state’s first rural project to receive 4 percent low-income housing tax credits, Desert Properties presented NRHA with new challenges and lessons that have informed subsequent affordable housing projects in rural areas. The development opened in December 2019 and won a National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies’ HOME Excellence Award in 2020. 

Visit HUD User’s Case Studies page to learn more about affordable housing and to view other innovative community revitalization strategies.

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