Growth + Affordability
Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity to host 17th annual fundraiser for housing programs
Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity and Citi are hosting the 17th annual “Evening in the Garden” fundraiser at FarWest Landscape and Garden Center on June 9. Located at 5723 W. State St., this year’s theme is “light up the night.” The fundraiser includes a live and silent auction offering Idaho rafting trips, getaway stays and […]
Growth, drought, aging infrastructure: Here’s why Idaho utility prices are rising
Brandi Stoker lives in North Idaho and is a stay-at-home mom with six children living at home. For the first time after living in their home for 17 years, Stoker had to pay above the budgeted amount she has ever had to pay for utilities. “I have only once ever gone over that budgeted amount […]
Idaho leads the U.S. in child population growth. The kid demographic has shrunk in most states.
Thirty-five states have fewer children than they did five years ago, a situation caused by declining birth rates nationwide, but also by young families migrating across state borders in search of cheaper housing. Even in the 15 states that gained children, all but North Dakota experienced greater growth in the adult population, meaning children now […]
Nationwide ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ food drive begins Saturday. Here’s how Idahoans can help.
The Idaho Foodbank is preparing for the largest nationwide food drive, set to take place this Saturday, May 13, according to a press release from the organization. This year marks the National Association of Letters Carriers’ 31st annual “Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.” Idahoans can participate in the nationwide event by filling any bag with […]
Can it beat its record? With $2M so far, Idaho Gives enters final day of nonprofit fundraising
Sherrie Joseph is in the middle of expanding the Pocatello Free Clinic to neighboring Power County, where the clinic now serves immigrants in American Falls who haven’t had access to dental care or mental health services before. On the other side of the state, Ali Rabe and the staff at Jesse Tree in Boise have […]
Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity partners with company to build playhouse for local kids
Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity is partnering with Weyerhaeuser, a building materials company, to build and deliver a children’s playhouse to a local family, according to an April 18 press release. The Playhouse Program is a volunteer opportunity that gives people a creative and hands-on day of building playhouses that are then donated to local […]
‘A model for the nation’: Boise’s Interfaith Sanctuary breaks ground for new shelter
During a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday, the Interfaith Sanctuary and its community partners celebrated the start of remodeling its new facility for Boise’s unhoused population. Located at a former Salvation Army building at 4308 W. State St., the new location will offer recovery and mental health services, a computer library, classrooms for workforce training, emergency shelter […]
Idaho Power looks to solar energy, battery storage to supplement future energy demand
Idaho’s largest electricity provider is taking steps to provide clean energy resources for the next 20 years, with one of its recent projects expanding the state’s solar power usage. In January, Idaho Power began providing energy through the Jackpot Solar Project, a new solar facility based on 952 acres south of Twin Falls. Developed by […]
High mortality rate of homeless highlighted in new report
Barb Anderson, director of Haven House in Jeffersonville, Indiana, works with homeless people to place them into housing. It’s a job that has shown her firsthand the severe health issues facing unhoused people in southern Indiana, where many people live in tents in the woods and under bridges. She is working with an older couple […]
Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity opens applications to build affordable home for Idaho family
The Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity is accepting applications from Idaho families for its affordable homeownership program, according to a Tuesday press release. The program would allow a low-income family in need of adequate housing to help build and purchase their own home at an affordable cost from the organization. The Boise Valley Habitat for […]
Mortgage rates are stabilizing, but that may not be enough to help house hunters
Home prices are cooling off and mortgage rates fell last week, but the fallout from recent bank closures could continue to make it hard for some Americans to buy homes, economists say. Mortgage rates fell to 6.32% for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, Freddie Mac data released on Thursday shows. Last fall, the 30-year fixed […]
Idaho’s population growth is slowing down, latest census data shows
After making its way to the second place spot for the highest-growing state in the country, new data reveals that Idaho is no longer at its peak for population growth, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Idaho Department of Labor. In 2022, Idaho’s population grew by 1.8%, making […]