BOISE, Idaho — Cassidy Landry loves the color pink – exemplified by a bright pink Christmas tree, with silver and teal ornaments, decorated in her living room.
But Landry did not always have a warm and inviting place to live. In fact, she was homeless for 10 months before getting rental assistance from the Boise City/Ada County Housing Authorities through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program.
“I didn't know anybody when I first moved here,” she said. “So, when it comes to getting back up on my feet, I have no connections. I don't know people [who] own a restaurant down the road that could get me a job and things like that.”
While Landry received help, many more are stuck on several-year waitlists. Deanna Watson, Ada County Housing Authorities executive director, said federal funding is not keeping up with demand.
She said 2,400 Idaho households receive Section 8 vouchers. Another 10,000 Idahoans receive rental assistance through the Ada County’s Housing Authorities’ Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
But rents keep rising, which breaks the bank.
“We then end up paying more per family,” she said, “which means we can help fewer families because we’re spending more per household.”
She said the growing population is not helping the situation, either.
“It’s getting close to a 30% increase in population since 2010, but no measurable increase in the number of vouchers that we have to help people on an ongoing basis,” Watson said.
The Federal Government gives the Ada County Housing Authorities about $12-13 million each year for its Section 8 voucher program. The Department of Treasury also gives money to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which she said they’ve spent about $47 million on.
But Watson said the need for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which was implemented during COVID-19, is only increasing. They are now receiving more than 100 applications per day. Last month, they received about 60 applications per day.
She said they expect to run out of funding for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program in June unless the federal government reallocates more funds.
“When you do everything you can do, and you still have to turn away 75 or 80% of the people who need the help, that does start to take a toll,” Watson said.
She said the demand for affordable housing will only get worse. The City of Boise alone needs almost 3,000 units every year for the next 10 years to meet demand.
Idaho, along with other states, has a Housing Trust Fund. But other than a one-time $50 million contribution last year, she said there is just not enough money being added to make a difference.
Since the waitlists are so long, Watson said they refer people to other agencies in town. But still, there are not a lot of options. They often see families living with other family members – or even friends – to make ends meet.
While Landry was able to receive much-needed rental help, she hopes other families do as well.
“Everyone deserves a home,” Landry said. “We would not be this stable and happy if I didn’t have this voucher.”
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