New look in low-income housing

Two publicly assisted housing complexes, once called the worst in the city, are now fully renovated thanks to $4 million in federal funding.

After a year of reconstruction, Sherman Gardens and Villa Capri, at 1701 and 1801 N. J Street, have entirely rebuilt units, new landscaping, new paint and a new playground.

"This is such a beautiful community and a nice environment for children to grow up in," Betty Turner, deputy executive director of the Las Vegas Housing Authority, said.

Lakisha Williams, 21, hopes to find a home in one of the 80 units of Sherman Gardens. She and her children, ages 1 and 2, live with their grandmother.

"I am hoping to get an apartment so I will have a place of my own to stay and a roof over my head," she said.

Frederick Brown, director of the Las Vegas Housing Authority, said 500 people are on the waiting list for the 2,700 currently occupied low-income housing units throughout the city.

"This is such a beautiful, positive collaboration," Brown said. "This is what can happen when all parties stay in communication and work together."

Sherman Gardens has come a long way since 1994, when then-Las Vegas City Councilman Frank Hawkins, along with Thomas Gholson, then-acting chief of the Housing Authority, called it "the worst housing development in the city."

Today, the glass that was once seen littering the area is gone, as are the gang members.

Lawrence Weekly Jr. lived at Sherman Gardens in the 1970s when he was in grade school.

"The complex has grown tremendously, and it is 10 times better now," Weekly said. He is now a community liaison for Ward 3 Councilman Gary Reese.

The cost of a two-bedroom unit at Sherman Gardens or Villa Capri will be 30 percent of an individual's income with a month-to-month lease. A two-bedroom unit can house two to four people.

"The need for low-income housing is great because many jobs pay minimum wage and this way those people could qualify for housing," she said.

archive