During its 2020 Virtual Annual Conference, NALHFA presented the Nevada Rural Housing Authority with an Award of HOME Excellence Award in recognition of the Desert Properties development. Working with a consortium of public and private partners, including state and federal housing agencies and local community service groups, Nevada Rural Housing Authority administers a variety of successful housing programs, including Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance, a single family mortgage program, weatherization assistance, and affordable rental housing. Collectively, NRHA owns twelve affordable housing developments located throughout rural Nevada. Two of these properties, Belmont and Desert Apartments in Tonopah, were recently acquired and rehabilitated by NRHA. This award submission aims to highlight the acquisition, financing and rehabilitation work done for the Desert property, specifically, as it faced extraordinary challenges – challenges NRHA was ready and willing to tackle head on with innovative strategies