Our History

Public Housing in this country was established by the U.S. Housing Act of 1937. The purpose of the Act was to provide homes for those of low and moderate income and to provide jobs for the unemployed. The Housing Authority of the City of Reno ("Reno Housing Authority" or "RHA"), was founded six years later, in October 1943, as a municipal corporation under Nevada Revised Statute 315. Since its founding, RHA has also been appointed as the Public Housing Authority for the City of Sparks and Washoe County.

Current Operations

RHA currently owns and manages 764 units of Public Housing (475 for families) in seven different locations in the City of Reno and Sparks under the Public Housing programs and, through the use of the Neighborhood Stabilization Programs and other funding, owns over 100 rental properties specifically targeted for low income households. RHA also provides housing subsidies to more than 2,500 low income families in Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County through Rental Assistance programs.

RHA wins NAHRO Award of Excellence

RHA won a coveted Award of Excellence from NAHRO for Attractive Xeriscaping for Water Conservation. The Journal of Housing and Commmunity Development reported on all of the winners here.

RHA's Annual Plan

RHA is required to submit an Annual Plan to HUD; the 2013 draft plan document can be found here.

RHA awarded Moving to Work designation

RHA has received designation as one of HUD's Moving to Work agencies. Moving to Work (MTW) is a demonstration program for public housing authorities (PHAs) that provides them the opportunity to design and test innovative, locally-designed strategies that use Federal dollars more efficiently, help residents find employment and become self-sufficient, and increase housing choices for low-income families. MTW gives PHAs exemptions from many existing public housing and voucher rules and more flexibility with how they use their Federal funds. This designation will allow for increased flexibility, helping RHA program participants, purchasing additional properties to provide mobility options, and experimenting with new rent structures. RHA will also be partnering with local nonprofits to assist a small number of homeless and at-risk families and individuals in our community. The most current version of the application can be found here and more information will be posted as it is received here.

Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 (NSP2) two year update

RHA, as the lead agency for a Consortium, received $20,995,000 to purchase, rehabilitate, and rent or sell properties to people below 120% of the Area Median Income. February 11, 2012 marks the two-year anniversary of the three year grant. A report on the progress so far can be found here.

RHA featured in HUD training video

HUD contracted with Enterprise Community Partners to create a training video on Scattered-Site, Single Family Rental Management. Due to RHA's effectiveness in handling NSP1 and NSP2, the video features RHA's approach to managing scattered-site, single family rentals. The link to the training video is here.

Section 8 Rental Assistance waiting list closed

The Section 8 Rental Assistance waiting list is currently closed. Information on the program can be found here.

RHA is a HUD "High Performer"

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has developed rating systems to measure the performance of housing authorities across the country.

Under the Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS) RHA has consistently excelled as a "high performer". Out of a possible 100 points, RHA received a score of 97 for the year ended June 30, 2012.

HUD's Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) performs physical inspections of rental housing that is owned, insured or subsidized by HUD. RHA's most recent REAC inspections in August of 2011 received extremely high scores. These scores are out of a possible 100 points.

© 2012 Housing Authority of the City of Reno