IN RESPONSE: Federal land sales would help region to address veteran housing issues

I applaud the Review-Journal for urging the federal government to release 23,000 acres of public land for housing development in Southern Nevada (July 20 editorial). You urged Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to speed up the release of unused BLM parcels for housing. This action is not just a bold step toward addressing our region’s severe housing shortage, it is an opportunity to directly tackle a crisis that has weighed heavily on the men and women who have served our nation.

We have spoken with countless servicemen and women who have returned home only to find the battle continues — this time, against housing insecurity. Too often, veterans are priced out of the communities they once protected. Some are on fixed incomes. Others face service-related disabilities that limit employment options. Many carry the invisible wounds of war that make stability, not just shelter, a matter of healing and survival.

Currently, the need for veteran housing in Nevada is urgent. Estimates show that more than 5,000 veterans in our community are either without adequate housing or struggling to afford safe, stable homes. These are individuals who answered the call of duty, risked their lives and returned home with the promise that America would honor their service. Yet many find themselves priced out of our Nevada communities.

The release of these 23,000 acres creates a rare and powerful opportunity to prioritize veterans and military families in housing plans from the very beginning. Too often, housing initiatives for veterans and military families are treated as afterthoughts — a few units constructed here or there.

This approach has left thousands behind. This time, Southern Nevada can lead by example and ensure that veteran housing is a cornerstone of the development strategy, not a footnote.

A development on this scale requires political bipartisanship, careful planning, infrastructure, water resources and community input. But with proper collaboration, these challenges can be met without sacrificing the needs of those who served. In fact, veteran and military families bring stability, civic pride and leadership to the neighborhoods they call home. Housing these American heroes is not charity. It’s an investment in community strength.

The Review-Journal recognizes the urgency of acting now. Land releases of this magnitude do not come often. Therefore, I call on policymakers, developers and the public to ensure that a meaningful percentage of the homes built on this land are legislated for veterans and military families.

When we say “Thank you for your service,” it must be backed by action. Safe, affordable housing is one of the most tangible ways to honor that commitment. The release of 23,000 acres offers us a historic chance to turn those words into reality for more than 5,000 veteran and military families who are still waiting for a place to call home.

Southern Nevada has the land. We have the need. We have the opportunity. So let’s all work together to make our “battle-born” citizens proud.

Peter A. Palivos is chairman of Voice of the Veteran. He writes from Las Vegas.