BOISE, Idaho — In the last year and a half, the need for housing assistance in the Treasure Valley has increased tremendously, which is something Jesse Tree of Idaho knows all too well about.
"Starting in March and April of 2020 when COVID happened, our demand on our housing crisis hotline went up about 300%," said Hannah Sharp, the development manager at Jesse Tree of Idaho.
The organization continues to see that same rate 16 months later and doesn't anticipate that trend slowing down anytime soon. Sharp said 2021 is on track to be Jesse Tree's busiest year yet due to the continued growth and demand for housing in the area.
"We fielded about 6,000 calls to our housing crisis line last year and this year we've already fielded over 4,000," Sharp said.
Jesse Tree helps with rental and security deposit assistance, the eviction court process and more. They're one of the dozens of agencies in the Treasure Valley that provides aid to people experiencing a housing crisis.
With the number of agencies willing to help and some needs being so specific, it may get confusing who to contact.
"People are having to figure out, 'OK. What stage of homelessness am I in? What stage of housing crisis am I in?'" said Sara Busick, the program director for Our Path Home.
To take out the guesswork, Our Path Home has launched a housing crisis hotline, 208-336-HOME (4663). The hotline is made up of a team of experts that will listen to people's housing issues and direct them to the best organization to help with their needs.
"When people are in crisis it's too much to think about all of that," Busick explained. "I want one phone number where anyone having any type of housing can call and then let our experts at Our Path Home CONNECT get them where they need to go."
Trained staff will make direct referrals to partner agencies, like the Boise City Ada County Housing Authorities, which also provides housing and rental assistance to those with limited income.
"There are people that have both adults in the household working full-time and they can't afford the rent crisis the way it is in Ada County," said Deanna Watson, the executive director for Boise City Ada County Housing Authorities.
Because many people are experiencing the housing crisis for the first time, they may not know the resources that are out there. Our Path Home's partnering agencies believe this hotline will be a great resource to point residents in the right direction and prevent situations from getting worse.
"The more we can connect, the better we can deliver what's critically needed, especially right now," Watson said.
Our Path Home said this new service will help its data collection to create a more accurate picture of the kinds of housing issues our people are facing currently.
The hotline is available for phone calls from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. People can also leave a voicemail.
Partnering agencies said they will still keep their phone lines open for the public to reach them directly.
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