It takes vision to bring about significant change in badly deteriorated neighborhoods - along with patience, perseverance, and the commitment of effective public/private partnerships. In one West Las Vegas neighborhood, an area that once was infamous for crime and a decaying public housing development, all of these elements have come together and the area is a new model for the City's low-income communities.

Known today as Whispering Timbers, the development is on the site of what once was a 200-unit public housing development, the former Herbert Gerson Park. The area - once associated with slums and blight as well as being a hub for crime - is now an attractive affordable housing development. The new Whispering Timbers and its 208 new affordable homes is the result of partnerships between HUD, the Community Development Programs Center (CDPCN), the Las Vegas Housing Authority, the City of Las Vegas, and the local faith-based community.

The transformation came about, in part, because the Las Vegas Housing Authority is complying with the Department's mandate to desegregate housing authority complexes and reduce the concentration of families living at or below the poverty level in low-income neighborhoods. At a recent ceremony, new Whispering Timbers home-owners were presented with the keys to their new homes. HUD's Nevada State Director, Kenneth LoBene, made a point to recognize CDPCN and its President, Frank Hawkins, giving him a special proclamation for outstanding leadership in expanding the supply of affordable housing in Las Vegas.

Throughout the nation, where local leaders have a vision of a better life for low-income families and communities - as well as committed public/private partnerships that share the vision - the transformation of this West Las Vegas neighborhood can be another inspiration.