Your best bet for work might be Reno, about 40 miles to the north of Lake Tahoe. Obviously lots of summer and winter resorts clustered around Tahoe, too, so am sure you could find seasonal work if that's what you're after. Not sure if you're dead-set against the CA side, but ski resorts like Heavenly, Squaw Valley, and Northstar-at-Tahoe will likely have jobs. Not sure on the housing question. Take a look at listings on Craigslist: http://reno.craigslist.org/.