CALDWELL, Idaho — Over the last few years, it's become more and more difficult for low-income Idaho renters to find affordable housing options.
Two local non-profits, NeighborWorks Boise and First Story, provide help and resources to find affordable housing, and thanks to their help, a Caldwell family got the keys to their new forever home.
The Kuper family finally received the keys to their forever home, but to get to this point, there were many stumbling blocks along the way.
"The housing market gotten so, so high that we thought we were safe. We had a home?" April and Christopher Kuper said. "Then they said that they weren't going to renew our lease."
So, they started looking and couldn't find affordable houses in Idaho.
"There was a house in Kuna, it was a three bedroom, two bath and they were asking over $5,000 a month," they said
The family had to bounce around from place to place, including hotels. The Kupers got hit with more bad news as all this was happening.
"This is around the time where I got diagnosed with cancer too," April said.
During this troubling time, April and Christopher still held out hope that they would be able to provide a home for their children.
"This is just a bump in the road. Even though it looks like a mountain, it looks high, but we can do this," they said. "It's okay. It's still viable, you know, just a little longer."
As things looked bleak, the Kuper family was introduced to NeighborWorks to help them achieve their dream.
"When they first came to NeighborWorks, Boise in 2021, they were homeless, but they had a goal, and they wanted to be homeowners as soon as possible," said Annie Green, Director for NeighborWorks Boise.
Once NeighborWorks helped financially prepare the family for homeownership, First Story, who partners with Neighbor Works, stepped in to help the Kupers find their forever home.
"Almost three years later, that dream came true," Christopher said. "This has just been an incredible journey and we're glad to turn the page and start on the next part of the journey."
Sprinkled around the home are reminders of the hard work that was put in during this hard-fought journey.
"Our first apartment, there was this little coffee table, and it was falling apart," April said. "It had these weird little tiles on them. So, I kept like 13 or 14 of them and I placed them in the bathroom. Every time I moved, I placed them in the bathroom and said 'Those are going into our house someday. We're going to get a house.'"
If you are looking for low-income housing or affordable housing options, you can visit the NeighborWorks website or the First Story website for more information on getting help.
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