BOISE, Idaho — Rent prices in the Treasure Valley have skyrocketed in recent years, leaving countless Treasure Valley families struggling to make ends meet. Combine that with rising grocery and gas prices, and the number of families reaching out to the local non-profit Jesse Tree for rental assistance has quadrupled.
Despite a slight downward trend in rental costs in the last month, Jesse Tree Executive Director Ali Rabe says it doesn't help much, considering rent has risen roughly 40% in the Boise area in recent years.
The Boise-based non-profit works with low-income families who face difficulties making timely rent payments due to an unexpected loss of employment, health care emergencies, or problems securing stable child care.
The non-profit organization is on track to assist more than a thousand Treasure Valley families this year, but the need is even greater. Jesse Tree is only able to financially support about a quarter of the families who request assistance. On average, it costs about $2,000 dollars to keep a family in their current home.
"That is much more cost-effective than allowing someone to fall into homelessness," Rabe said. "We know from our community data that to re-home somebody once they've lost their housing, it can cost up to $10,000. We also know homelessness is very costly to the community, so to invest in prevention saves a lot of funds down the road and also prevents families from facing really traumatic impacts that homelessness causes for them and their kids."
That's something Nampa mom Alyssa Davie knows firsthand, living much of the last decade without stable housing.
"I was somebody before homelessness became my all-encompassing situation," Davie said. "Pretty much month-to-month I'm just kind of crossing my fingers, you know."
Even now, in the first house she's ever had, Alyssa doesn't know how she'll make her $1,500 rent payment come January.
"But I'm used to that," Davie said. "And it's unfortunate because I have a child that requires stability."
The single mom says she lost her waitressing job, which she held for over a year, because she wasn't available to work on weekends. Her nine-year-old son, Mateas, has ADHD and autism. After previous attempts, she's learned standard child care just is not an option.
"I believed that I could just work a lot and provide for him, but he does not have the kind of resilience for that," Davie said. "He gets overstimulated, and when he gets overstimulated he requires a one-on-one situation. And those kinds of [child care] places, a gym with 30 kids, they don't have the ability to have a one-on-one situation."
Her son's meltdowns have also made it difficult to live with roommates, so Alyssa turned to Jesse Tree for guidance. Although she hasn't yet received any financial support from the organization, the connection she's made there is critical, knowing help is around the corner should she need it next month.
"You know, I would like to get out of poverty, that's number one, but I'm willing to accept the help right now because I can't do it by myself," Davie said. "And that's just the truth; I tried doing it by myself and we were homeless for almost ten years."
As for making money, Alyssa hopes her passion for oil painting could turn into a career. But for now, she says she's smiling just because she has a home, for however long that will last, grateful for Jesse Tree's support and services.
"I can't speak for anyone else who is homeless, I can only speak for me and my son. But I know in that way, they were really gracious. So if they can help me come January, that would mean the world because then I wouldn't have to lose my home."
Jesse Tree is always accepting donations to help Treasure Valley families facing eviction or homelessness. Their annual Housed for the Holidays fundraiser is next week on December 8. There are 50 tickets left for the event which features food, drinks, live music, and an auction. Ticket sales close this Friday. Learn more here.
