An early-stage effort to create transitional housing for survivors of domestic and family violence is seeking community members interested in helping turn the idea into a reality. 

Lydia House is a proposed transitional housing project envisioned for Boundary County. Sue Branson, who has continued working toward the project since it was first discussed by a group of community members in 2019, said the immediate goal is to find people interested in helping build the organization and determine what it could ultimately become. 

“I’m just a person who can’t forget this need,” Branson said. 

Over the years, Branson has volunteered at Hope House and has seen people in the community struggling with housing insecurity. Through conversations with Boundary County Victim Services, she also became increasingly aware of the gap faced by survivors who need more than a few nights of emergency shelter. 

The name Lydia House originated when the project began in 2019 and was inspired by Lydia in the Bible, who was known for her hospitality, Branson said. 

While the project initially grew from a group connected with a local church, Branson said she does not envision participation in religious activities as a requirement for those who may someday receive assistance through Lydia House. 

Exactly what Lydia House could eventually look like has not been determined. Ideas have included individual tiny homes or another type of housing that would allow survivors to live independently while they work toward permanent housing. 

Branson said some funds have already been raised toward the effort, but before the project can move much further, it needs people with the knowledge and skills to help establish a board and work through the process of forming a nonprofit organization. 

The need that Lydia House hopes to address is one Boundary County Victim Services officials said they encounter regularly. 

Laci Lowther, executive director and advocate with Boundary County Victim Services, said the agency provided 60 nights of emergency shelter in 2025 and has seen an increase in the need for emergency housing. 

Because there is no shelter in Boundary County, Victim Services currently uses emergency lodging when someone needs to leave an unsafe situation. 

“Oftentimes, due to additional barriers that someone might face leaving an unsafe situation, a few nights in a hotel may not be enough for them to make a safe transition,” Lowther said. 

Housing-related needs arise almost weekly, she said, whether someone needs emergency shelter, transitional or permanent housing, or assistance remaining in their current housing. 

During an emergency stay, advocates work with survivors to explore their options. Those can include finding a longer-term shelter outside the area, relocating to stay with family or attempting to secure housing locally. Each option can bring additional challenges. 

Leaving the area can mean leaving behind a job or support system, while income-based housing in the community can come with significant waiting lists. 

BCVS advocate Becky James said remaining in Boundary County can be particularly important for families with children. 

“Oftentimes there are children involved, and the children have schools,” James said. “It’s bad enough to have their life implode as it may have done, but then to also uproot them and take them from their schools, that is another burden or hardship on the whole family.” 

James said one idea she has discussed with Branson is housing that would allow survivors to live autonomously rather than in a communal setting. While traditional safe houses serve an important purpose, she said giving survivors the opportunity to live independently is increasingly considered a best practice in the field. 

Lowther said having a transitional housing option could give survivors something that short-term emergency lodging cannot: time. 

“We would just love to see that transitional housing option for survivors to give them that longer amount of time of stability to get back on their feet and to rebuild and to heal after trauma,” Lowther said. 

Boundary County Victim Services is not directly involved in developing or overseeing Lydia House. Lowther said the agency’s involvement to date has primarily consisted of discussing the needs advocates that see in the community and sharing information about trends and practices surrounding shelter for domestic violence survivors. 

If Lydia House eventually becomes a reality, however, BCVS officials said they would welcome the opportunity to work with the organization and potentially connect survivors with its services. 

For now, Branson’s focus is finding the people who can help take Lydia House from an idea to the next stage. 

She hopes to hear from people with nonprofit or organizational experience, those interested in serving on a board, people with professional skills they would be willing to contribute, and others who simply want to become part of the effort. Property or other resources that could someday help provide transitional housing could also play a role as the project develops. 

Branson said she doesn’t yet know exactly what Lydia House will ultimately look like. What she does know is that she doesn’t want people facing an unsafe situation to believe they have to navigate what comes next by themselves. 

“You don’t have to face this alone,” Branson said. 

Those interested in becoming involved with the Lydia House project can contact Sue Branson at 208-217-1663.