Lojek letter: Homelessness

It was good to see the great community support for Our Path Home — the new Boise facility to house the homeless. This is a rational and compassionate way to assist people once they become homeless.

However, your readers might like to know that there is one local nonprofit group that acts to prevent people from becoming homeless. If a family can show evidence of an unplanned financial hardship such as medical expenses, temporary unemployment, an illness, etc., Jesse Tree of Idaho will work with the landlord and under appropriate circumstances will pay the rent for up to two months, thus allowing the family to get past their financial crisis.

Over the years this small, mostly volunteer group has helped hundreds of families to stay in their homes and avoid eviction. Careful surveys show that a year later almost 100 percent of the families assisted are still housed and have not been forced to live on the streets. Jesse Tree is supported by grants and donations from United Way as well as many banks, businesses, individuals and foundations. The area served includes both Ada and Canyon counties.

This story was originally published October 9, 2017 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Lojek letter: Homelessness."