A senior citizen on a fixed income whose rent went up $650 per month.
Last month, we announced that we had launched our security deposit program. After only six weeks, we have already received nearly 200 applications for help.
We've heard from:
A family who lost their jobs after they got COVID and whose rent increased by $375 at the same time,
A senior citizen on a fixed income whose rent went up $650 per month,
A 20-something who lost her roommate and then had her car break down, causing her to miss work and wages,
A husband whose hours were cut while his wife was going through a difficult pregnancy and their rent increased...
And many more.
We'll work with each of these families over the next month so that they can try and find a new place to live, but the rental market is so scarce - we know it will be difficult. This is especially true for the families we serve who already have an eviction on their record.
Their stories are emblematic of serious systemic problems in our community. Many out-of-state investors continue to buy up land and property in the Treasure Valley. Many of them have no personal connection to the tenants they are working with and can easily increase the rent, providing tenants with only 30 days' notice. If tenants can't afford the increase, they must find a new place to live. In a high-cost, high-demand rental market, their search takes time. If tenants can't find a place, some landlords take them to eviction court, resulting in an eviction on their record. The difficulty of finding new housing drastically increases for that tenant, as any landlord will likely throw out their application when they learn about the eviction. Tenants are routinely being evicted from their homes for circumstances that are completely out of their control.
This is the reality of our housing market. It’s how many American cities have chosen the path of homelessness. It’s why we do this work, and why we continue to hope serious investments in housing supportive services, legal support, and security deposit and rental assistance are made. Thank you for continuing to be a part of our work and helping us raise $47,076 during Idaho Gives this month, which will go directly to supporting more of our neighbors.