Latah County looks into housing authority

Latah County is interested in helping form a public housing authority to provide affordable homes to low-income county residents.

On Tuesday, the Latah County Board of Commissioners met with government and nonprofit leaders in Moscow to discuss this possibility.

“We’re worried about the price of housing and the affordability for our workforce,” Commissioner Kathie LaFortune said.

LaFortune and Commissioner Tom Lamar said they are researching other housing authorities in Idaho such as the Boise City/Ada County Housing Authorities.

Lamar said Latah County has nonprofits like Sojourners Alliance and Habitat for Humanity that offer housing options for some residents, but these are small solutions to address a large problem.

He said a public housing authority can support bigger projects by attracting donations of land and funding from private donors and the government to develop housing.

“What I’m hoping with an affordable housing trust is that we can take bigger steps that have a bigger impact,” Lamar said.

Lamar said he would want such an entity to serve not just Moscow but people across Latah County.

Sojourners Alliance Executive Director Casey Bolt said the lack of housing often stems from the fact that it is not always profitable for developers to build affordable residences. This is where a public housing authority can be of service.

“From my view, only a public authority that isn’t operating under a profit motive is going to be able to rectify that,” he said.

Latah County Grants Manager Christina Mangiapani said that in order for an entity like a housing authority to find grant funding, it needs to be run by a group of people that are “deliberately focused on solving an issue.”

LaFortune said that, as an independent entity, the housing authority can seek grants and donations, but it would not be a taxing authority.

She said the next step is to figure out who should sit on the housing authority’s board.

Paul Kimmell, who is the chairman of economic development group Inland Northwest Partners, said cities and counties by and large do not make affordable housing a priority. He said that Latah County has the right people to make it happen.

“I think we have the staff and the expertise to figure this out,” he said.

Moscow City Councilors Julia Parker and Maureen Laflin also attended Tuesday’s meeting. Parker said the city would be interested in a housing authority.

Family Promise of the Palouse Executive Director Autumn Shafer told the Daily News last month that the nonprofit has seen a significant increase in the number of people needing its services since 2020, including shelter services.

In total, 117 families have taken part in the nonprofit’s shelter program since 2013, according to Family Promise’s data. Sixty families have used Family Promise’s homelessness prevention services during that time.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.