Housing is an ongoing and complex issue for many Idaho Communities. A recent grant awarded through the CDBG Program aims to alleviate that.
The City of Mountain Home was awarded $500,000 in CDBG funds to aid in the creation of infrastructure necessary to build a 60-unit multi-family housing complex with 48 rent-restricted units and 12 fair-market units known as Falcons Landing.
CDBG funding was directed toward the extension of sewer lines, curb, gutter and sidewalk construction and road improvements.
The Community Development team provides financial and technical assistance via the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Rural Community Investment Funds (RCIF).
Idaho cities and counties may use the funds for the construction and rehabilitation of public infrastructure and facilities necessary to support lower-income communities, job creation, business expansion and a sense of community.
Zeb Moers, Director of Development at LEAP Housing, which is the organization that assisted the city with the project, said CDBG funding was “catalytic” to the completion of this project.
“This project brings critical workforce housing inventory that is in sync with local wages in Mountain Home,” Moers said. “Residents in leased and homeownership units will pay no more than 35% of their income on housing, ensuring that members of the community are not housing cost burdened and able to afford other essentials like food, transportation and healthcare.”
Falcons Landing is now leasing its 2 and 3-bedroom units and has officially opened. Affordable rental units are open to households earning at or below 60% area median income (AMI).
“Thanks to CDBG, LEAP will be able to complete our very first health-focused housing community,” Moers said. “CDBG is an important tool for communities to utilize, ensuring adequate public infrastructure to support Idahoans who live, work and play across the state. CDBG brings funding to communities big and small that would otherwise be difficult to obtain, realizing important community benefits like housing that syncs to local wages.”
Learn more about the CDBG grant program here.