WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) sent a letter urging Acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Adrianne Todman and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su to work together to bolster the housing construction workforce through investments in training and apprenticeship programs in order to increase the housing supply, lower home costs, and create good-paying jobs. Nevada is currently suffering from one of the worst shortages of affordable housing in the nation, and the lack of skilled residential construction workers is a key reason behind it. This letter seeks to reduce barriers to housing development and bolster the skilled workforce needed to address the housing crisis in the state.
“While the need to expand housing supply is greater than ever, barriers to development create a challenging environment for developers to build more housing and lower housing costs. In particular, developers report that a major limiting factor in the capacity to build more housing is the shortage of skilled construction workers, with a recent study finding the construction industry will need half a million additional workers this year just to meet demand,” wrote Senator Rosen. “With fewer skilled workers available, construction can take longer, driving costs up and making it harder to keep homes priced affordably. It is simply too expensive to build affordable housing in this high-cost environment, and a shortage of construction workers contributes significantly to those rising costs.”
“I urge HUD and DOL to work in partnership to invest more in workforce development and training programs specifically for the residential construction industry – to ensure local construction companies have the well-trained, skilled workers they need to increase the supply of housing in communities that need it most,” she continued. “Through workforce training programs that strengthen the local construction workforce – including existing DOL registered apprenticeships that could be further expanded – we can support housing development, help communities address the severe housing shortage, lower overall housing costs, and create good-paying jobs that don’t require a degree from a traditional four-year college.”
The full text of the letter can be found HERE.
Senator Rosen has been a leader in the fight to lower housing costs and support Nevada’s skilled workforce. Last month, she introduced legislation to bolster the housing construction workforce by creating a new grant program to fund housing construction education and skills training programs at community colleges and technical education schools. Senator Rosen is also working to crack down on price gouging by corporate investors who drive up home prices by buying up housing stock through her Housing Oversight and Mitigating Exploitation (HOME) Act. She has also urged the Department of Housing and Urban Development to increase the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Vouchers allocation by 10,000 vouchers over five years.
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