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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — As the number of renters in the Boise area climbs, so too are rents, causing some residents to struggle to find affordable housing.
According to a report by the Southwest Idaho Chapter of the National Association of Rental Property Managers, one-bedroom apartments in Ada County increased 30.6 percent to $606 a month on average from 2009 to 2015, the Idaho Statesman reports (http://bit.ly/1N7RAvT). Three-bedroom units increased nearly 21 percent, to $867.
Following the rule of thumb that rent should not exceed 30 percent of income, a person earning Ada County's median single-person-household income of $32,000 a year could afford rent of $800 a month. A family earning Ada County's median-household income of $55,000 could pay $1,380.
"If you don't make $35,000 a year, it's hard to find affordable housing in our area," said Zoe Ann Olson, executive director of the Intermountain Fair Housing Council, a nonprofit. "We have a hard time finding housing that the families we work with can afford anywhere under $900 a month."
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development the number of renters in the Boise-Nampa area, which includes Ada, Canyon, Boise, Gem and Owyhee counties increased from 28.2 percent in 2000 to 32.3 percent in 2014.
"The rental market is practically full," said Boise City Councilwoman Lauren McLean. "The vacancy rates are negligible, and rates are going higher because there are more people in the marketplace. That creates a downward pressure on everybody looking for housing. It becomes very difficult."
McLean, who is also a board member for the Capitol City Corp., which wants to encourage housing development downtown, said the city is taking steps to develop more affordable housing options in the city and that officials are looking to add 1,000 housing units downtown over the next five years.
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Information from: Idaho Statesman, http://www.idahostatesman.com
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