A local bakery is helping turn a holiday tradition into real support for struggling homeowners.
Freed's Bakery has teamed up with homebuilder Taylor Morrison on a seasonal initiative that turns gingerbread houses into financial support.
For every $55 gingerbread house kit sold, the Build Joy program donates $1,000 to HomeFree USA, a national nonprofit that assists homeowners facing foreclosure.
According to a recent U.S. foreclosure market report, Nevada ranks fifth in the country with a filing for one in every 2,747 housing units.
"It really is a wild time in the housing market. We're seeing so many warning signs about foreclosures, evictions and unemployment rates going up," says Nic Irwin, research director at the UNLV Lied Center for Real Estate. "There's nothing within the larger economic picture that suggests this is going to turn around anytime soon."
Nonprofits and charitable campaigns can help to a degree, but Irwin says there's a clear need for more reliable and long-term foreclosure prevention efforts.
To support Freed's Bakery and the Build Joy program, gingerbread house kits are currently 'pre-order only' and available on their website. Orders can be picked up at any of their five locations, delivered locally or shipped nationwide.
