Salvation Army gives poor a place to call home

For 13 years, Michael Sumling fit the textbook definition of "chronically homeless."

He left home in Memphis, Tenn., because of an abusive father. He was disabled by a mental illness that requires strong medication, and he bounced from Tennessee to New York to Texas, always living on the street.

"It's nothing good about it," Sumling said Tuesday. "It's ugly. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."

By the time he reached Las Vegas, he said, "I was tired." Sumling sought help, and now, six months later, he's living and getting the help he needs at the city's newest affordable housing complex.

A host of local officials were on hand Tuesday for the dedication of Horizon Crest, a 78-unit complex built by the Salvation Army near Main Street and Owens Avenue.

The apartments, which are the Salvation Army's first permanent housing that's not restricted to senior citizens, have been open -- and full -- since December.

It's good that the units have been put to use so quickly, said Maj. William Raihl of the Salvation Army.

But it also points to the demand for low-cost housing.

"It may be a drop in the bucket," Raihl said. "But it's a drop, and it shows it can be done."

The funding used to build the complex pays for about 250 to 350 such units in Southern Nevada annually, said Michael Mullin of Nevada HAND, which helped with the project's financing. One Clark County study estimated the need at about 1,800 units, he said.

Horizon Crest has one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments that rent on a sliding scale starting at $507 a month for a one-bedroom, $608 for a two-bedroom and $703 for a three-bedroom. Utilities are included in the rent.

Most of the units are restricted to low-income households, although seven units are rented at market rates. Twelve units are paid for with public funds and reserved for the chronically homeless.

Funding for the $12.7 million project came primarily from Bank of America, which put in about $10 million in exchange for income tax credits. The city of Las Vegas contributed $2 million in housing grant funds, and $750,000 came from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Sumling's glad the project went through.

"I still have the wear and tear on my skin and my teeth," Sumling said. "But I'm recuperating. It makes me want to pass my blessing on to other people.

"It's really a dramatic change from where I've been. I know the system works, because it worked for me."

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or (702) 229-6435.