A perfect storm for Boise’s unsheltered neighbors — and how you can help | Opinion

A guest came into Corpus Commons last week with everything she owned in a grocery bag. She’d been sleeping somewhere different every night. Why? She was fleeing domestic violence, overnight shelters were full and she couldn’t risk being fined for sleeping outside.

She came to Corpus for a shower, a warm meal and a place to rest. Many Boiseans don’t know Corpus Commons exists. We were founded in 2003 as Corpus Christi House by local faith leaders who saw neighbors with nowhere to go during the day.

Today, we’re Boise’s only daytime shelter. We’re a home base where our staff builds genuine relationships with our guests over time, connecting them to resources that fit their unique situation. But it’s getting harder to build these relationships as three pressures converge into a perfect storm.

First, capacity. Boise no longer has a low-barrier emergency overnight shelter, and existing shelters are full, with waitlists in the hundreds. Corpus absorbs much of that gap by day, meeting around 200 neighbors’ basic needs before they return to shelter, if they’re lucky, or into hiding, if they’re still waitlisted.

Second, heat. It’s only getting hotter, and heat is a genuine health risk for our unhoused community. Staff have already responded to more heat-related emergencies this year than in past summers. We’re part of Our Path Home’s Summer Cooling Plan, offering misters, shade, water, and a safe place to be during the heat of the day.

Third, the Galloway Law. Since July 2025, Boise has enforced a statewide ban on “public camping,” regardless of whether shelter beds are available. Its intent was to move people toward resources and reduce visible homelessness. What it’s actually done is push people further from help.

Our unhoused neighbors are scattering, making it harder for outreach teams to find and support them. Criminalizing someone’s existence doesn’t address why they’re unsheltered; it only widens the gap between them and providers like Corpus who can help.

This law rests on assumptions I hear constantly: that people choose homelessness, that they just need a job, that drug use is the root cause. No one chooses to go without a safe place to sleep, a shower or a meal. Per the 2025 State of Homelessness in Idaho report from the Idaho Housing and Finance Association, 44% have a disability, and 8% are 62 or older. Nearly half had an income when they sought services, and 78% were experiencing homelessness for the first time. The leading causes: domestic violence at 30%, loss of income, and rising rent at 23%. None of that is solved by making someone harder to find.

Homelessness can feel like a crisis too big for one person to fix. But there’s something simple you can do: become a Friend of Corpus, giving predictable monthly support that lets us plan ahead so we’re ready for the next guest who walks through our doors.

More than 50 generous neighbors already support Corpus monthly through Friends of Corpus. Our goal is to reach 100 by the end of July.

Boiseans experiencing homelessness are not a problem to be solved. They are people navigating a crisis in our city without their basic needs met. It takes a community to change a community.

Together, we can support our neighbors year-round. Learn more at corpuscommons.org/friendsofcorpus.

Jessica Abbott is the executive director of Corpus Commons, Boise’s only daytime shelter, serving more than 1,000 individuals each year.