Tahoe Prosperity Center supports Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless - Project Homekey

Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless will receive significant funding in the first round of awards for Project Homekey. The funds awarded will support the local community to purchase and rehabilitate housing, including hotels, motels, vacant apartment buildings, and other properties, and convert them into permanent, long-term housing for people facing homelessness and those currently in insufficient short-term housing. We strongly support the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless and their Project Homekey plans.

The Tahoe Prosperity Center formed the Housing Tahoe Partnership in April 2018 to bring together local employers, agencies, and concerned citizens to address our local housing crisis. We believe if you have a job here locally, you should be able to live here locally. We released the Local Resident Housing Action Plan in March 2020. The study concluded that roughly 3,290 housing units are needed through 2026 to address the current and expected future housing shortfall for residents, the workforce, and retiring employees. Fifty-seven percent of these units (1,880 total) need to be priced below current market prices ($500 to $1,250 per month for rent) to meet the full range of local resident housing needs. In contrast available market rate rentals average over $1,800 per month. We have a high incidence of households being cost-burdened by their housing payment (i.e., paying more than 30% of their income for housing), leaving less money for other important expenses like transportation, food, health care or education. Currently, forty-eight percent of South Shore renters are cost-burdened. Please view the report here: https://tahoeprosperity.org/wp-content/uploads/SSR-Action-Plan-3.16.20-final.pdf.

Project Homekey will assist locals including veterans, elderly, disabled persons, and young families to secure safe and affordable housing. During the Covid-19 crisis, the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless has provided emergency shelter and services to these community members. We believe that Project Homekey will provide a much needed long-term solution to the housing crisis faced by those who’ve faced significant financial challenges in this unprecedented time.

The Tahoe Prosperity Center has always supported the Coalition’s work in The Warm Room, the area’s only emergency shelter. We are very appreciative of the dedicated leadership, Board Members, staff and volunteers who have worked diligently to transition from providing emergency shelter to providing much needed services and housing to end homelessness on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe.

The Tahoe Prosperity Center is a triple bottom line organization. Our vision is a prosperous, sustainable, healthy Lake Tahoe. We believe Project Homekey is the key to ensuring that everyone in our community has access to safe housing and supportive services. It will also save money from local budgets, and create cleaner, happier neighborhoods for all of us.

To learn more about the Tahoe Prosperity Center, please visit https://tahoeprosperity.org/.

- Heidi Hill Drum
Chief Executive Officer
Tahoe Prosperity Center