Since the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for housing assistance has skyrocketed in Idaho. But organizations trying to offer aid are losing federal funding.
Jesse Tree is an Idaho nonprofit offering legal and rental assistance to people experiencing housing insecurity. The amount of people seeking aid has doubled since the pandemic lockdowns in 2020.
Evan Stewart is Jesse Tree’s program director. He says the organization has been losing federal dollars in recent years. Recent cuts to the AmeriCorps national service program led to a round of layoffs.
That means less staff dealing with a waitlist that’s more than doubled since the pandemic.
“We're assisting about close to between 75 and 100 families per month. But that's really only about 30% of the people that apply that we're able to support,” said Stewart.
On average, Idahoans make about $19 an hour, which for many isn’t enough to afford rent. The National Low Income Housing Coalition says $28 an hour is what a family would need for a two-bedroom apartment.
As its waitlist grows longer, Jesse Tree is prioritizing families, veterans and victims of abuse who are at high risk of losing their homes.
Stewart said renters are putting nearly half their monthly budget toward housing. He’s seen prices increase by 40% since 2020, which makes it hard to pay for emergencies.
"What we see is, you know, these things that come up and people might need to put their money towards their vehicle or their children,” said Stewart.
Many Idahoans, he said, are juggling a number of competing priorities.
