Making housing headway

COEUR d’ALENE – The Regional Housing and Growth Issues Partnership announced it is making progress on its mission to increase the availability and affordability of housing in Kootenai County.

In the past year, the partnership has helped launch a home-sharing program, a subcommittee to help manufactured home owners form co-ops and purchase the land beneath their homes, and a task force of real estate professionals raising money for down payment assistance or other aid for homebuyers.

“We have accomplished a lot since forming in 2020, but addressing the local worker housing crisis is going to take multiple solutions over the course of several years,” said Kiki Miller, a Coeur d’Alene City Council member and member of the partnership, in a news release.

To build on the momentum and accomplishments of the past year, the partnership is looking to reorganize in 2023.

Members of the partnership – including representatives from local government, business organizations and nonprofits – are being surveyed to determine whether the partnership should become its own nonprofit or collaborative with a paid director or merge with CDA 2030, an existing nonprofit. Both options have equal opportunity to be funded.

CDA 2030 is a community-based organization formed in 2014 to develop a vision and strategic plan for the Coeur d’Alene area. Though the organization has been focused primarily on Coeur d’Alene, CDA 2030’s board is looking to rebrand with a new name and expand its service area to include all of Kootenai County.

CDA 2030 has committed to dedicating 25% of the organization’s focus to housing and growth issues.

“If CDA 2030 can get additional funding, they would ramp that up with potentially more staffing or more time dedicated to housing,” said Hilary Patterson, a CDA 2030 board member and participant in the partnership’s working group, in the release. Patterson said several of the organization’s focus areas are directly tied to growth and housing.

During the partnership’s December meeting, advisory group members discussed the pros and cons of forming an independent nonprofit or merging with CDA 2030. Patterson addressed a misconception that has plagued CDA 2030 from its inception: that the group is somehow associated with the United Nations.

“It’s not tied to the United Nations,” Patterson said. “It never has been.”

The partnership’s survey closes Dec. 30 and the partnership will meet next month to discuss the results and determine the future of the Regional Housing and Growth Issues Partnership.

“The community and partnership members want the work of the group to continue and to find a more permanent home for the organization,” Miller said. “We’ve affected some positive change in a very short period of time and there’s more work to be done.”

A copy of the survey, details on the organizational structure options and summaries of questions and answers from the partnership’s December meeting are available online at www.rhgip.org.

Regional Housing & Growth Issues Partnership 2022 Progress Report

HomeShare Kootenai County: The independent nonprofit started as a partnership subcommittee. The nonprofit is the state’s first homesharing organization. For more info visit www.homesharekc.org.

Resident-Owned Community Subcommittee: With the help of ROC Northwest, the subcommittee has helped residents of Coeur d’Alene’s Oak Crest mobile home community incorporate so they can attempt to purchase the community and own the land beneath their homes. Six other manufactured home communities are working with ROC Northwest to incorporate as well.

CDA Regional REALTORS Task Force: CDA Regional REALTORS are exploring a yearlong giving campaign, in conjunction with the Idaho Home Partnership Foundation and the RHGIP, with proceeds to be used for down payment assistance or development projects that help provide affordable local worker housing.

ToolKit: Designed as the housing strategy plan and resources for the region, the RHGIP’s ToolKit (available at www.rhgip.org) has over 15 solutions with some being implemented and others working or in progress.

Panhandle Affordable Housing Alliance Expansion: Management of Deed Restrictions was approved by PAHA’s board and presented to multiple developers and cities to drive private market solutions to the local worker housing crisis.

Development Agreements: Regionally, development agreements are beginning to include occupancy restriction components that address affordable housing.

Joint-Planning Workshop: The partnership is hosting to provide training and information for regional planning commissioners, elected officials, urban renewal agencies and planners to regularly review progress and ToolKit strategies for local worker housing and growth management solutions. Exit surveys from the 60 attendees at RHGIP’s inaugural event indicated the workshop should be held annually or more frequently.

Open Space Commission: Kootenai County Commissioners appointed a commission to preserve open space in Kootenai County based on a community poll conducted through the partnership.

Public Presentations: The partnership delivered more than 35 presentations for community input and inclusion.