Finding quality, affordable housing in Shoshone County has become increasingly difficult due to a combination of economic, geographic and social factors. 

For Paige Olsen, director of the Silver Valley Economic Development Corporation, solving this long-standing issue has become a mission. 

One of the core challenges is the mismatch between income and housing costs. A household is considered “burdened” when it spends more than 30% of its income on housing. 

“With our average household income being under $50,000 per year, that means monthly payments around $1,200 are deemed affordable,” Olsen said. “But you also have to account for the higher wages of the mining industry drastically skewing that average, creating an even bigger discrepancy in what's truly affordable for the majority of our local workforce.” 

Mining workers can make near and over six figures.

Another major hurdle is the scarcity of developable land. 

“Without having land that either the county/city owns or a private owner step forward and specifically designates for development, I'm not sure if we can overcome community resistance,” Olsen said. 

In Shoshone County, the median price of a single-family home was $295,000 in May, up 4.9% from a year ago. Sixty-one homes had sold through May, slightly behind last year's pace, and spent an average of 109 days on the market.

There were 128 residential listings in Shoshone County as of June 4, a 37% increase from one year ago.

Colleen Rosson, Shoshone County’s grants administrator, has been involved in workforce housing development for over a decade — first with the Silver Valley Chamber, then as SVEDC director before Olsen. She’s seen proposals fail and worries the community may be sabotaging its future. 

While the housing crisis isn’t as dire as it was five years ago, Rosson said many residents seek employment — and eventually housing — outside the county. 

“We do not have the ability to house our workforce locally,” Rosson said. “We don’t pay Spokane or Coeur d’Alene wages despite being only slightly cheaper.” 

Olsen said the Silver Valley is geologically confined.

"So we're going to have to get crafty with what we have,” Olson said. “This means change is coming, which means people are going to feel uncomfortable for a bit. I guess that's where the compromise lies."

Rosson agreed that geography is both a blessing and a curse. 

“Our geography won’t allow for mass expansion, but we’re not planning for our future generations,” she said. 

She emphasized that outside mining, the county struggles to attract workers in essential fields like health care, law enforcement, EMS and education — largely due to the lack of affordable housing.