Affordable housing solutions still sought

COEUR d’ALENE — Affordable housing in Kootenai County remains out of reach for many. But local housing advocates say there are solutions.

“There is hope and there are a lot of passionate people working on it,” said Greta Gissel, executive director of Connect Kootenai on Housing and Growth.

This week, more than 60 representatives from different jurisdictions convened for Connect Kootenai’s second housing workshop, where they heard presentations on housing solutions currently in progress, as well as what’s on the horizon.

Kiki Miller, a Coeur d’Alene City Council member and affordable housing advocate, emphasized that there’s no simple solution.

“I don’t think we’re going to see a magic answer,” she said. “It’s going to be ongoing and it’s got to be a dedicated, collaborative effort for years to come.”

That’s why it was heartening for Miller to see planning and zoning commissioners and elected leaders from throughout Kootenai County attend the recent housing workshop.

Miller said it’s important to bring together the decision makers who are in a position to tackle Kootenai County’s housing crisis and share tools and information with them.

“This gives them an educational opportunity and gives them a chance to make sure, when they’re making a decision, they know where to go and what tools they can use to address that local worker housing issue,” Miller said.

A recent report published by Connect Kootenai found that 80% of Kootenai County households are priced out of the market and residents are leaving the area to find affordable housing.

Nearly half of Kootenai County households couldn’t afford the July average market rent of $1,580, according to the report. The lack of affordable housing has resulted in a loss of 5,340 jobs in the local economy.

Gissel said one part of the solution is to make it easier and faster to build accessory dwelling units, which could house local workers, students, seniors and others while generating income for homeowners.

Connect Kootenai is working with area designers and architects to create four accessory dwelling unit plan sets and provide them to the public for free. These pre-approved plan sets can be submitted to a jurisdiction with minimal changes to ensure compliance with local codes.

“That removes a barrier in the community for people who may want to build an ADU but may not know the first thing about it,” Gissel said.

Creating affordable housing for families in Kootenai County is key, Gissel said.

“Families are the foundation of a community and if our families leave because they can’t afford housing, our community changes,” Gissel said. “Home ownership is the path to building wealth and the strong family foundation that all children need.”

Accessory dwelling units can be part of the solution, particularly when they facilitate multigenerational housing. For example, grandparents may wish to live on the same premises as their adult children and help raise their grandkids.

But solving Kootenai County’s housing crisis has to be a collaborative effort between builders, elected officials and other community leaders. The problem is too big for any one person or entity to address.

“Everybody has to have some skin in the game to make sure our local workers can stay here,” Gissel said.

    Miller