Meridian mayor ‘not comfortable’ spending on affordable housing. What happened next

Long a place quick to embrace single-family homes and slower to accept apartment complexes, the city of Meridian is gradually coming to terms with residents’ needs for affordable housing and rental assistance.

In his State of the City address on June 1, Mayor Robert Simison said he and the City Council were considering their role in the housing affordability problem. Then, in a budget workshop on June 28, Simison questioned whether affordable housing was the best place to put city dollars.

“I am not to the point yet where I feel comfortable investing dollars in affordable housing, personally,” Simison said. “The price of food has gone up. We don’t support the Meridian Food Bank with general-fund dollars. I would argue food insecurity is as big if not bigger. How many days can you go without food and water compared to housing? I don’t want to get into that debate.”

Maybe Simison was not ready to put money from Meridian’s general fund into housing assistance and affordability, but President Joe Biden’s big 2021 COVID-19 relief legislation has offered a temporary solution.

In a workshop Tuesday, council members decided to use $552,000 from Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan money that Congress appropriated to support the Wood Rose Apartments, a small affordable housing complex to be developed by the Housing Co., using city money and tax credits from the federal government.

The apartments would be located on 3.8 acres at 1160 W. Ustick Road.

Meridian has $12.84 million in American Rescue Plan money to spend. It allocated some of it to projects like the Linder Road Overpass, broadband, streetlights, irrigation and new fire and police stations. After dedicating money to the Wood Rose Apartments, the City Council decided to also allocate $250,000 for housing assistance.

Many cities and counties in Idaho and across the country are deciding what to do with their federal COVID-19 relief dollars. The American Rescue Plan included economic relief for cities and counties across the U.S. to use in their annual budgets.

The idea to spend money on housing assistance came from City Council President Brad Hoaglun.

“I am interested in allocating $250,000 in these funds for housing assistance, but then there should be a (request for proposals) process for those funds for housing assistance,” Hoaglun said. “Is that Jesse Tree, or is that someone else who wants to use those funds?”

Simison said his office could set up the process for organizations to apply for the housing funds.

Jesse Tree helps families facing eviction and the likelihood of homelessness to keep their homes. Jesse Tree provides support to 300-400 households per month and helps 100 households per month with rental or security deposit assistance, its website says.

Executive Director Ali Rabe told the Meridian officials in the June 28 budget workshop that Jesse Tree helps about 40 Meridian families every month with rental assistance, eviction support and other housing resources.

The organization has relied heavily on COVID-19 recovery funds from the federal government, but those will run out soon, Rabe said.

When the mayor’s office sets up the process, an organization like Jesse Tree would have to submit a proposal to the city. The city would then select which proposal would be the best use of the funds.

City Council members said they hope to have another process when Meridian no longer has American Rescue Plan dollars to use for housing. Councilwoman Jessica Perreault is one of the individuals working on that process, Hoaglun said.

This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 4:00 AM.

Rachel Spacek

Idaho Statesman

Rachel Spacek is a former reporter covering Meridian, Eagle, Star and Canyon city and county governments for the Idaho Statesman.