Home Means Nevada: Estipona Group Resolves to Fight Housing Crisis

In many ways, “home” is everything. It’s where we feel safe and grounded, where we recharge for every new day, where we gather with loved ones and where we plan out our futures. With this in mind, we as an agency have committed ourselves to helping more of our neighbors find a home of their own.

RELATED: Estipona Putt-Putt Classic Raises $2,000 for New Community Foundation Fund to Benefit Reno Homeless

To help alleviate homelessness in our community, Estipona Group is taking action — personal and professional work that we believe will make an impact on the lives of our neighbors.

• For 2017, we established the Good Deeds Fund through the Community Foundation of Western Nevada. The Fund will be dispersed in January 2018, after a full year of raising money through charity events like our Estipona Putt-Putt Classic, as well as contributions from company profits. Early next year, these funds will go to an organization that serves homeless communities in northern Nevada. The award will be given based on community nominations and a selection by a five-person committee comprised of Estipona Group representatives and members of the community at large.  
• We do Good Deeds throughout the year — like throwing a birthday party for homeless children at the Volunteers of America family shelter and collecting diapers for women in crisis — that support organizations that are in the trenches daily helping families overcome homelessness.
• We work with client-partners like the Nevada Housing Division, a state agency that works daily to make the dream of homeownership a reality for residents throughout Nevada. With programs like Home is Possible and the Mortgage Credit Certificate, NHD provides significant financial incentives through tax credits and down payment assistance to qualifying homebuyers. They offer even greater benefits to current/veteran military and teachers, vital communities who deserve our gratitude for their contributions to improving our state and country in such significant ways.
• We are passionate about promoting the West 2^nd District (see rendering above), a planned mixed-use neighborhood in the downtown core with an emphasis on creating affordable housing options, while preserving historic locations. Of the 2,000 residential units projected to be built, more than 50 percent will be classified as “Workforce Housing” (defined as affordable to those earning 80-120 percent of the Area Medium Income (AMI). The West 2nd District has an on-staff team of social workers and relocation experts who will develop a comprehensive relocation protocol with local organizations to assist displaced residents, not just in finding new accommodations, but in gaining access to the services that can change their lives.

“Nevada is home to most of our employees,” said Edward Estipona, Estipona Group founder and CEO. “We’re raising our families here and building our lives here. We care how our community treats all of its citizens and it’s important to us that we help make it a wonderful place to live for all residents.”

RELATED: Help Us Give Away $500 to a Local Non-Profit

Homelessness and affordable housing are huge problems — in Reno and in many communities throughout the country. Estipona Group cannot solve it. And to be honest, the West 2^nd District, the Nevada Housing Division, the Volunteers of America and even the Reno City Council cannot solve it — alone. Together, however, we can. We can help give more of our neighbors a place to call “home.”

If you are interested in joining us in this work, get involved in one of our fundraising efforts or support our Good Deeds. Learn more right here.