The Boise City Council has voted to scale down temporary shelter operations at the Red Lion Hotel in Boise.
95 residents live at the downtown hotel, but as local organizations join the city’s efforts to combat the local housing crisis, more opportunities for permanent housing and funding are available.
At a city council meeting on Tuesday, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said “We're committed to investing in long term solutions, and together with philanthropy and businesses and the Community Foundation, we've come up with a model to pay for the services that are needed in those long term solutions.”
According to a press release, the city set aside $5.5 million in gap financing last week to build 95 homes for families experiencing homelessness.
Two options were presented to the council by Maureen Brewer with Planning and Development Services, but one of them resonated with the majority of the council.
“Option two, then, would see the hotel shelter phased out by September 30th of 2025, and this option would require another $463,000 in funding that is proposed to come from both ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) and the General Fund, likely from year end cost savings.”
The council voted five to one to approve option two. The city anticipates 400 affordable homes to be built within the next three years, providing families with a permanent home.
