We cannot neglect investing in rural Idaho or rural America

Earlier this year, the U.S. Census announced that urban and suburban Idaho are enjoying substantial growth. Urban counties account for 75 percent of the state’s recent growth and 65 percent of its overall population, with Boise drawing national attention as the country’s fastest-growing major city. This is on the heels of recent news that as a state, more and more people in Idaho are moving out of rural communities to set down roots in the urban core.

From an economic standpoint, growth is good. The influx of new residents in Idaho means more jobs and more revenue to support critical infrastructure. In fact, U.S News and World Report recently ranked Idaho as having the best business environment in the country for entrepreneurship. It also is a testament to the incredible community that Idahoans have cultivated over the years that so many people from around the U.S. want to call this state home.

However, it also sheds light on a potentially critical challenge that this state and many others face in the coming years.

As more individuals and families are drawn to urban and suburban locales, our rural communities begin to shrink. With fewer residents, we see less investment in core services and less support for communities. Many rural communities are seeing a demographic shift in which fewer young people are setting down roots, thus shifting the average age of rural populations upward and eventually increasing demand for health care and elder care resources as resident baby boomers move further into retirement.

According to the Idaho Department of Labor, counties that rely heavily on tourism enjoy a higher-than-average median income but offer little-to-no affordable housing, since most development is focused on vacation properties. About 10 percent of residents in these counties live below the poverty line. Similarly, the cost of rent for businesses is higher, pushing some local businesses out of town or forcing them to shut down.

While it makes sense to invest in the spaces that house the most individuals, we cannot neglect investing in rural Idaho or rural America. These communities remain home to tens of thousands of individuals here in Idaho and tens of millions across the country. Often, these communities are home to some of our greatest natural recreation areas and spaces of significant cultural, agricultural and economic importance.

There are several ways we can support our rural communities, but it requires partnership and collaboration across the state.

• Invest in rural health care. Data show that residents in rural settings often have far fewer health care options and may need to travel greater distances to seek care. Organizations like Bingham Health Care Foundation, Lost Rivers District Hospital, Teton Valley Health Care and Gritman Medical Center are investing in new technology and programs that can help connect patients with medical services regardless of their physical address.

• Bring rural foundations to the table. Several nonprofit foundations invest in underserved rural communities, such as the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and the Cambia Health Foundation, but it is often the smaller, rural foundations that have a unique perspective on the precise needs of these communities and how to best address their unique challenges. Groups like the Steele-Reese Foundation, the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, the Innovia Foundation, the Inland Northwest Community Foundation, the Idaho Community Foundation and the Pride Foundation can help us all be more effective in our support of organizations that are working to make rural communities flourish and thrive.

• Invest in rural business. Communities thrive when business can thrive. We live in a time when a lot of commerce can be managed from anywhere thanks to the evolution of technology. The key is to ensure that local businesses have the support capital and the training to excel. UW medical students conduct significant portions of their training in rural facilities, such as St. Luke’s, while Idaho State University students hone their craft at the Rural Perinatal Clinic. In the tech sector, Inspire Idaho brings technology training to all corners of the state through the University of Idaho, while the Micron Foundation invests in the unique STEM educational programs required to help raise the next generation of engineers. This sort of investment ensures that rural communities continue to have the opportunity to grow in pace with the rapid evolutions taking place in urban settings.

• Listen to leaders from rural areas. These individuals are the most directly attuned to the unique gifts these communities offer the broader region, as well as the specific areas that require investment to ensure that these communities can flourish and thrive. They bring great wisdom and perspective that urban and suburban areas can learn from. It is critical that we turn to the voices that represent these areas to help guide investment.
  
  

This Tuesday-Thursday (Oct. 2-4), nonprofits and foundations from across the region will meet in Boise for the Philanthropy Northwest Regional Conference. As our country continues to discuss critical issues of equity and inclusion based on demographics and psychographics, we must also consider geography. We are encouraging all members of the business and nonprofit communities, our elected leaders and the countless private citizens who want to see the entire state flourish and thrive to join the discussion and invest in keeping our rural communities vibrant, so that the whole state can flourish.

Steve Moore is the executive director of the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, a foundation serving Pacific Northwest nonprofits that has worked closely with and invested heavily in the Idaho nonprofit community for more than 43 years.

Allen Smart is a nationally recognized expert and author on the subject of philanthropy, with a specific emphasis on rural funding and rural community needs.

This story was originally published September 29, 2018 at 5:45 PM with the headline "We cannot neglect investing in rural Idaho or rural America."