Idahoans living on fixed incomes experience more barriers to affordable homes

Rental prices in Idaho are rapidly outpacing wage growth, and the shortage of affordable and available homes is making it difficult for Idahoans across the state to keep up.

Idaho renters living on fixed incomes – such as seniors and Idahoans living with disabilities who are unable to work – are more likely to spend a larger share of their income on rent than the population as a whole and are disproportionately impacted by the widening gap between their rent and income.

In order to bridge this gap, our federal delegation must commit to supporting robust investments in long-term housing solutions to ensure every Idahoan has access to an affordable home.

A household is considered to be housing-cost burdened when rent costs more than 30% of a household’s income. As rent prices continue to increase throughout the state, Idahoans on fixed-incomes are more likely to experience housing-cost burden or be priced out of their homes due to the inflexible nature of their monthly incomes.

Idaho’s current housing resources and affordable housing supply are not adequate to meet the urgent needs of Idaho’s renters on fixed incomes or the long-term needs of Idaho’s renters.

Unaffordable homes lead to many negative consequences for families and communities. The unsustainable financial stress of paying rent that is too high leads to Idahoans having to choose between basic necessities that have long-lasting impacts on their health – such as paying rent, purchasing food, attending medical appointments or buying medication.

Idahoans unable to pay rent may also face the traumatic and expensive experiences of eviction or homelessness, the effects of which can last a lifetime.

Many Idahoans on fixed incomes who are elderly or living with a disability are best able to live independently and participate in their communities when they live in homes that accommodate their mobility needs.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Idaho has a shortage of 22,287 affordable and available homes for renter households with modest incomes, and this shortage becomes even more significant when factoring in the need for housing to be accessible. As a result, Idahoans with mobility impairments experience significantly more barriers to finding new homes that are safe and affordable when they are priced out of their current housing.

One example of this is an elderly couple recently served with housing navigation and security deposit assistance by Jesse Tree. After appearing in a local news story, the couple was contacted with multiple options for housing, but because of their mobility needs, it took almost three weeks of working with a case manager to find a home that would work for their physical abilities and needs.

Lawmakers can ensure Idahoans with fixed incomes remain safely and stably housed by making bold investments in long-term housing solutions that (1) help Idahoans with modest incomes access homes at affordable prices and (2) promote the creation of more affordable and accessible homes.

Congress can achieve these goals by increasing access to rental assistance through the Housing Choice Voucher Program to all eligible households and dramatically expanding the supply of affordable homes by bolstering funding to the national Housing Trust Fund and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.

Idahoans are experiencing unprecedented levels of housing instability as rents continue to rise, and our communities are unable to respond to the need for more affordable homes without additional assistance. Now is the time to contact your members of Congress to urge them to support bold, long-term investments in affordable and accessible housing.