Batt Builds Case For More Affordable Housing As His Task Force Prepares To File Report, Governor Says Few Issues Are As Important To Idaho

Gov. Phil Batt urged hundreds of participants in his Conference on Housing on Monday to form partnerships that can increase the amount of affordable housing available as Idaho’s economy continues to grow.

“There are few issues which are more fundamental to our quality of life than affordable housing,” Batt told the opening session of the conference.

“Access to decent, affordable housing has a tremendous influence on all aspects of our lives.”

The conference comes as the governor’s special task force on housing needs finalizes its recommendations after a summer of hearings statewide. That 17-member panel will issue its report in mid-October.

Although the Idaho Housing and Finance Association has a number of programs aimed at helping low-income people obtain suitable housing, Batt said he is convinced more could be done.

Batt said there are 5,200 households statewide on local housing-authority waiting lists, and 24,000 of the state’s poorest families are paying 30 percent or more of their income for housing.

In circumstances like that, the governor said, even a small disruption in income can become disastrous.

“I believe there are tremendous gains to be made if we can cooperate,” he said.

Among potential improvements, Batt said, would be to reduce red tape for affordable-housing developers, find creative financial solutions to expand the stock of affordable housing and, possibly most important, develop a state housing strategy.

While the state’s decade-long drive to expand its economy remains successful, Batt pointed out that growth and increased employment bring with them an intensified need for more affordable housing.

A state strategy to keep pace, the governor said, is “an integral part of putting Idaho on the path to a bright economic future.”