Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada warns of eviction crisis

Las Vegas (KSNV) — The Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada is warning of an eviction crisis as rent prices remain high across the valley.

Those with the Legal Aid Center believe a wave of evictions is coming. They said affordable housing is not widely available, and there will be less funding for assistance.

During a meeting at the non-profit on Tuesday, a panel discussed how rent increased 20% to 30% during the pandemic and how people are still affected.

They said thousands of households are currently behind on rent and aren’t making enough to cover it.

Clark County’s housing assistance program, or CHAP, which helped many tenants remain housed during the pandemic, will no longer have the vast federal funding it had previously.

However, there will still be some funds available.

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If you are served an eviction notice, here’s what you need to know: You must file an answer to the notice as soon as possible, and then apply for CHAP and eviction diversion through Justice Court.

Those actions alone buy you time and delay an eviction.

There are some changes to CHAP eligibility to be aware of.

Tenants must now have a copy of that eviction notice to apply and must fall under one of these groups: fixed income or temporary change of circumstance.

“Because we have limited dollars, we really need to target in on folks who are facing imminent eviction, which is a housing crisis. So that’s why we require now that piece of eligibility information, and simply enough then a copy of your lease, what you owe and we work with the landlord. All payments are made directly to the landlord to get you current,” said Tim Burch, administrator of human services for Clark County.

Burch said even if your application for CHAP is denied, the Legal Aid Center will help you find resources for your situation.

Visit the Legal Aid Center website to learn more about rental assistance eligibility.

Visit the Clark County website to learn more about CHAP.