While Southwest Idaho’s population grows ever upward and a housing shortage persists, novel opportunities to create affordable housing are bubbling up.
For thousands of people across Ada and Canyon counties, making rent is difficult enough, while home ownership can seem like a distant dream. In neighboring Elmore County, where Mountain Home and the Mountain Home Air Force Base are located, the situation is even more dire, according to Leap Housing, a Boise-based nonprofit focused on housing affordability.
The organization is taking steps to stem a tide of housing hardship in Mountain Home, including with Falcons Landing, a new 60-unit two-building apartment complex that will include affordable rent options. Construction is almost finished, and Leap is now accepting applications.
“This is the first income-restricted project in over 20 years in Mountain Home,” said Bart Cochran, the CEO and founder of Leap, by phone.
The organization is set to finish construction of the two-building development at 1355 SW Caracara Ave., about a mile southwest of downtown Mountain Home, before the end of October, according to a newsletter. The complex will include options for two-bedroom, one-bathroom units and three-bedroom, one-bathroom units. Amenities include a clubhouse, laundry room and playground. New residents could start moving in by mid-October.