Howard Hughes supports Homeaid

For more than four decades, The Howard Hughes Corp. has been proud to have played a role in the growth of Southern Nevada, particularly through the development of its master-planned community of Summerlin, soon moving into its 27th year and home to more than 100,000 residents.

As a builder of community, The Howard Hughes Corp. long has recognized the importance and value of hundreds of nonprofits dedicated to improving and uplifting quality of life for everyone in our valley.

This year, one organization received extra special support from The Howard Hughes Corp. as well as several local homebuilders that are developing neighborhoods in Summerlin.

HomeAid Southern Nevada, established in 2004 with a focus on building shelters and facilities for the homeless and at-risk populations in our community, is sponsored by the Southern Nevada Homebuilders Association.

HomeAid engages SNHBA members, including developers, homebuilders, subcontractors and others working in the homebuilding industry, to build housing for those in our community in need of shelter.

To help HomeAid reach more audiences and build awareness, Hughes provided a booth for the organization at its recent Summerlin Festival of Arts which exposed HomeAid’s mission to tens of thousands who attended.

Hughes also has provided significant in-kind support via video production, hosting donation drives for its backpack initiative and promoting the organization through media outreach. Simultaneously, Summerlin homebuilders helped to advance HomeAid’s mission in a big way this year via significant financial donations and contributions of time and resources.

According to Danielle Bisterfeldt, vice president of marketing for Summerlin, the mission of HomeAid is especially poignant and meaningful for the community and its homebuilders to rally around.

“As the most basic and essential need, housing is foundational to creating quality of life for any community,” Bisterfeldt said.

“We are so proud of our homebuilders and their partners for coming together to make a difference by building shelters and facilities for the homeless in our valley. “

According to Caitlin Shea, executive director of HomeAid Southern Nevada, the organization’s partnership with the homebuilding industry in Southern Nevada is especially valuable.

“From projects big and small, our homebuilding partners like The Howard Hughes Corp. and Summerlin homebuilders have the know-how, the resources and the relationships to help us achieve our goals,” she said.

Projects recently completed by HomeAid and its builder and trade partners include the re-roofing of five buildings at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children in Boulder City; extensive renovation of Catholic Charities Men’s Night Shelter in downtown Las Vegas; an extensive renovation in partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services of Southern Nevada of Calcaterra Circle, a transitional housing community near the Las Vegas Convention Center; improvements to the aging 33,000-square-foot WestCare Women and Children’s Campus in Northwest Las Vegas; expansion and renovation of Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth’s facility; and the William Fry Drop-In Center near UNLV.

The value of the projects mentioned is in excess of $2 million in donated labor and materials from industry partners.

Nearly 10 Summerlin homebuilders have supported HomeAid in a number of ways and for many years. Two longtime Summerlin homebuilders, KB Home and Woodside Homes, are exceptional in their support of the organization and have served on HomeAid’s board of directors for many years. And both have designated company employees to oversee and supervise the building of several key HomeAid projects. Collectively, these companies have made donations to HomeAid totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Other Summerlin homebuilders, including Toll Brothers, Pulte Homes, William Lyon Homes, Richmond American Homes, CalAtlantic and Lennar, each have made individual contributions to HomeAid ranging from in-kind goods and services to significant sponsorships of key HomeAid initiatives, including its Back to School Success Drive to benefit homeless students.

According to Shea, volunteerism is another area in which Summerlin builders have made a difference for HomeAid. For example, KB Home sponsored a Care Day event to benefit the Las Vegas Rescue Mission. Volunteers from KB Home cleaned up landscaping and a playground, organized donations, installed shelving and washed windows.

For more information or to volunteer, visit homeaidsn.org.

Summerlin currently offers new homes encompassing nearly 100 floor plans in 22 neighborhoods in four villages: The Ridges, The Cliffs, The Mesa and The Paseos. Homes are available in a variety of styles — from single-family homes to townhomes — priced from the low $300,000s. For more information about Summerlin homes and amenities, visit Summerlin.com.