BOISE, Idaho — What some use for camping could eventually become a new home for others.
The City of Boise is currently testing a program that could make it legal for people to live in tiny homes on wheels and RVs.
The city's affordable housing innovation pilot could become one way to address its lack of affordable and attainable housing.
"Our community is facing really significant challenges with things like housing affordability. It's something that's impacting so many folks in our community," City of Boise Director of Innovation and Performance Kyle Patterson said. "When we're facing really big challenges like that, it's really important that we as a government try new things - that we experiment with new approaches."
A recent housing needs analysis found the City of Boise needs more than 21,000 affordable housing units over the next decade.
"That's not just going to all come from new development," LEAP Housing Director of Development Zeb Moers said.
A unique problem - that needs unique solutions.
"We're going to have to become a little creative, it's kind of like a revenue stream, where you want to have as many different types as possible - and that's how we view housing types." Moers said. "Every unit matters."
The affordable housing innovation pilot started in late 2022 with tiny homes on wheels, which are currently illegal to live in.
RVs were just added to the pilot, which is being headed by nonprofit LEAP Housing, who is handling applications and making sure requirements are being met.
"It's just a test, we're really just out there to collect data, to see if tiny homes and RVs are a safe place and an affordable place for people to live in the City of Boise," Moers said.
There are several requirements needed to rent out tiny homes and RVs, including property space and utility requirements.
The program is in a one-year trial stage to collect data on whether the program should be permanent.
"When we're talking about approaching housing affordability, there's just not one silver bullet," Patterson said. "There's not one thing that we can do that will solve the problem. We have to take much more of an 'all of the above' approach and try lots of different solutions. So, I have no doubt that this could be one of the many solutions that we use to address housing affordability in the community."
More information about the pilot, including a link to the application page, can be found here.