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Intermountain Fair Housing Council sees increase in Idaho single mothers being evicted

Two local organizations that focus on providing resources to those facing eviction told KTVB that single mothers have been their main clients.

BOISE, Idaho — The federal moratorium on evictions ended last week and now more people are once again vulnerable to eviction while still in the middle of a pandemic. 

Thousands of evictions have happened in Idaho over the past year and a particular group has been hit the hardest. Two local organizations that focus on providing resources to those facing evictions say in the past year, single mothers have been their major clients. 

The Intermountain Fair Housing Council is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure open and inclusive housing for everyone. The group's focus is on providing assistance to those facing eviction in Idaho. 

IFHC's Executive Director, Zoe Ann Olson, told KTVB that they have seen a total of 3,000 evictions in Idaho and helped resolve more than 1,000 through the end of 2020. With that data, IFHC said they have seen a 25% increase in single mothers facing eviction in Idaho. 

IFHC said they have seen mothers being evicted more frequently than any other American and can be a target for some landlords.

"It is typically because they are easier to evict. It's something where they are feeling more fragile. People make noise complaints on things that you can normally do in your households that don't violate the lease. People feel like they want to trade tenants with someone who pays more money for rent." Olson said.

Jesse Tree, an organization that also provides assistance to households at risk of eviction and homelessness, to KTVB that they have not seen an increase of single mothers being evicted over the pandemic. They say the majority of their cases have always been single mothers. 

According to IFHC, COVID-19 rental assistance is still available and is valid until the end of September 2022. 

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