'Dire crisis mode'

COEUR d’ALENE — The shortage of affordable housing in Kootenai County, and the impacts of it, are no secret.

Rising rents and a median single-family home price of more than $500,000 have forced many to leave the area, creating a lack of labor that has left many employers scrambling to fill jobs.

“We are in dire crisis mode right now,” said Greta Gissel, executive director of Connect Kootenai.

“It is vitally important that we maintain a viable and vibrant community that includes the local workers,” she told about 100 people at the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber’s Upbeat Breakfast at The Coeur d’Alene Resort on Tuesday.

Connect Kootenai — formerly CDA2030 — is continuing the mission and priority of the Regional Housing Growth Issues Partnership: to increase the affordability and availability of housing in Kootenai County.

The need for affordable housing extends to pretty much everyone — first responders, educators, health care workers and those in the service industry, Gissel said.

To keep them in North Idaho, Connect Kootenai works with public and private agencies, nonprofits, businesses and government.

Gissel said that if a family earning $93,000 saved up $22,000 for 5% down payment, they could perhaps afford a $450,000 home, of which there are only about 40 for sale on the local market.

With today’s mortgage interest rates roughly 7%, that would leave a monthly payment of about $3,200. Not many can afford that.

“We need to retain local workforce housing so that our employers can attract and retain quality employees,” she said.

But that's easier said than done.

An estimated 75% of residents can’t afford a home, 60% struggle to pay monthly bills, and some are paying 50% of their income on rent.

Gissel said it’s critical solutions be found.

“Housing is the foundation of our family structure,” she said.

Connect Kootenai and others are hopeful of finding answers.

Nonprofits like St. Vincent de Paul and Panhandle Affordable Housing Alliance, organizations like the North Idaho Building Contractors Association, along with business and civic leaders have formed a braintrust, of sorts, that makes up Connect Kootenai's working group.

Progress has been made. The new nonprofit HomeShare Kootenai County has had success matching homeowners with rooms for rent with those in need of them.

One proposal calls for easing the building permit process to allow for construction of “cookie-cutter housing plans” for additional dwelling units on property that would be rented out.

Another would offer versions of reduced-cost tiny homes that a property owner could buy and have on their property, again on the condition it be a rental.

Gissel mentioned a fund to which real estate agents could donate that could be used to assist potential homeowners with a downpayment or interest rate buydown.

Deed restrictions, builder incentives and residential-owned communities are other options that could be used to develop workforce housing.

She said they are even looking at shuttered housing projects to see if they can’t be revived.

“It’s about getting families into homes," Gissel said.

There is a sense of urgency, because the lack of affordable housing is changing the nature of Kootenai County.

“We can’t let high home prices come between us and the essential elements of our community,” Gissel said.