THURSDAY OCTOBER 29 2015 $1 VOLUME 151, No. 96WWW.IDAHOSTATESMAN.COM/

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NEWS ALL DAY.YOUR WAY

It’s rough out there for Treasure Valley rental hunters. Rates are rising. The vacancy rate remains near an all-time

low. Builders have returned to building apartments, but not enough to keep pace with population growth, and most

of the new units are much too expensive for anybody working jobs at or near the minimum wage. Low-income ten-

ants relying on housing subsidies are finding that fewer property managers are accepting vouchers. Richard Wil-

liams, above, is looking for a new apartment after being told that Hillcrest View Apartments, where he’s lived for

20 years, will no longer accept his voucher. Reporter Zach Kyle explains why affordable apartments are a financial

loser for developers and what changes housing experts say could encourage more construction in Boise and be-

yond. DEPTH, 1D

DEPTH: LIVING IN TODAY’S ECONOMY

Apartment marketpinches Valley renters

KYLE GREEN kgreen@idahostatesman.com

TOP STORIESSTAY CONNECTED

GOP DEBATE

Candidates trailing Trump,Carson go on attack

NEWS, 7A

GUEST OPINION

Because of landmark initiative,Owyhee County is better off

DEPTH, 1C

ANIMAL SCIENCE

Monumental bat study covering31 states, including Idaho

NEWS, 4A

Catching Up 2A

Local news 4-5ANation 6-7A

Stocks 8A

Sports 1B

Depth 1C

Opinions 2C

Explore 5C

Comics 6-7C

Obituaries 8C

Showers, clouds

58°/39° See 8A

EXPLORE

Halloween moviescan be scary orfun. Here are 10great ones. 5C

SPORTS

BSU linebackerJoe Martaranogets up to speed,produces 1B

Nampa’s Skyview High is

trying to become the first

Treasure Valley team to

win a 4A state champion-

ship. The school finished

third each of the previous

three years and is 12-1

this season, but standing

in the way, as always, is

Century. SPORTS, 1B

VARSITY EXTRA

VOLLEYBALLTITLE ON LINE

A Richland County offi-

cer who was caught on

video violently dragging

a student out of her desk

and across a classroom

“did wrong,” his boss

said. NEWS, 6A

SCHOOL ASSAULT

DEPUTY FIRED INSOUTH CAROLINA

Working-age cancer survivors lose about a fifth of

their income in a two-year span when they are sick,

according to a news study that sought to get at the

root of the disease’s financial impact. NEWS, 6A

HEALTH CARE

CANCER’S OTHER MAJOR TOLL

A two-hitter by Johnny Cueto (47) on Wednesday carried

Kansas City to a 7-1 win over New York and a 2-0 lead;

play will resume on Long Island on Friday night, with the

Mets’ backs against the proverbial wall. The Royals, who

got a big hit from Eric Hosmer, had a 2-1 lead in last

year’s World Series but lost to the Giants. SPORTS, 1B

WORLD SERIES

SO FAR, ROYALS ARE RULERS OF METS

Not surprising-

ly, studies have

shown that kids

whose parents

spend time

behind bars

don’t fare as

well as their

counterparts.

Groups are trying to change that. DEPTH, 1C

DEPTH

HELPING PRISONERS’ CHILDREN

The West Ada trustees

say they offered longtime

Superintendent Linda

Clark a $56,000 sever-

ance before she resigned

Friday. Clark said the

board offered her an in-

sufficient settlement and

asked her to step down

after the Nov. 3 levy elec-

tion. Chairwoman Tina

Dean said the board

made a reasonable offer

to end “a distracting

sideshow.” NEWS, 4A

WEST ADASCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD’S NEWCLARK ISSUE:‘PITTANCE’

Get a scare with these

Halloween movies 5C

PLUS uCOMICS, HOROSCOPES & MORE

Nesha Jennings said herproblem wasn’t that shecouldn’t afford to pay $900 amonth for a Boise rental forherself, her husband and their

teenage daughter. She could.But when she searched for a

place to live in May, she did nothave the $3,000 needed tocover the last month’s rent,deposit and pet fees to sign alease for an apartment at thatprice.And there were the applica-

tion fees charged by many prop-erty managers. Combined withthe rents, they were more thanJennings could afford.She looked first in Southwest

Boise, where the family previ-ously rented before the landlorddecided to move into it himself.“There was almost nothing in

the same area, so I had to lookfurther and further into Boise,”Jennings said. “A lot of theplaces I came across were al-ready rented out, or I couldn’tafford to take $100 for an appli-cation fee out of the rest of mymove-in costs.”Jennings, 39, said she caught

a break when the landlord of arental near the intersection of

Fairview Avenue and Allum-baugh Street allowed her tospread those move-in costs overthree months. She signed a$900-per-month lease, and herfamily moved in.Jennings said she supports the

family on her $30,000-a-yearsalary as a psychiatric tech-nician at Allumbaugh House,which offers detoxification and

short-term crisis and mentalhealth care services. Her com-mute is shorter, and she saidshe’s starting to financiallycatch up.“Gas to and from work was a

stretch,” she said. “My car pay-ments fell behind. Grocerieseach month were a stretch.”

RENTS UP, RENTERS TOOThe Valley faces nothing as

severe as the affordable housingcrisis found in places such asSan Francisco, where the aver-age apartment rented for $3,458in the first quarter of 2015. Butrent rates here have far out-paced stagnant wage growth.According to a report by the

Southwest Idaho Chapter of theNational Association of RentalProperty Managers, one-bed-room apartments in Ada Countyincreased 30.6 percent to $606a month on average from 2009to 2015, the report said. Three-bedroom units increased nearly21 percent, to $867.Since 2012, the first year the

association surveyed rentals inCanyon County, rents rose near-ly 20 percent for both one-bedroom units (to $500 permonth) and three-bedroomunits ($750).A person earning Ada Coun-

ty’s median single-person-household income of $32,000 ayear could afford to pay $800 amonth, following the rule ofthumb that no more than 30percent of income should go torent. A family earning AdaCounty’s $55,000 median-household income could pay$1,380.The share of households rent-

ing in the Boise-Nampa area,

KYLE GREEN kgreen@idahostatesman.com

Richard Williams, 58, writes his thoughts on a pad of paper in his apartment at the Hillcrest View Apartments. His lamp serves as his stickynote bulletin board, with reminders to change his watch battery and for doctor appointments, as well as pep talks: “B Patient!” and “I knowGod is working!”

TODAY’S TREASURE VALLEY ECONOMY

Missing: Low-income rentals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Affordable apartments aren’tprofitable for developers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Minimum wage earners can’tafford most Valley units. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Idaho offers few incentives foraffordable housing developers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

BY ZACH KYLE

zkyle@idahostatesman.com

SEE RENTERS, 3C

‘‘THERE’S NOT ENOUGHHOUSING FORLOW-INCOME PEOPLEIN BOISE. I LOVE THISTOWN, AND THAT’STHE ONLY FAULT IHAVE WITH IT.

Disabled apartment tenantRichard Williams

USING THE 30 PERCENT RULE OF THUMB, ANADA COUNTY MINIMUM WAGE EARNER CANAFFORD $375 PER MONTH FOR HOUSING.

Three years ago, the little girlwould hide under a table whenconfronted with reminders thatboth her parents were in prison.Now almost 10, she’s a confi-

dent, popular student, and acerecruiter for the program thathelped her, says Daniel Howell,a case manager for New HopeOklahoma. It offers after-school

programs, weekend retreats andsummer camps for about 500Oklahoma children annuallywho have parents behind bars.Nationwide, there are few

comparable programs, despite avast pool of children who mightbenefit.Child Trends, a research

organization, released a reportTuesday estimating that 5 millionU.S. children have had at leastone parent imprisoned — aboutone in every 14 children under 18.For black children, the rate wasone in nine, the report said.The report was based on data

from the 2011-12 National Survey

of Children’s Health — a phonesurvey sponsored by the U.S.Department of Health and Hu-man Services that collectedinput from parents and othercaregivers.Experts who study these chil-

dren, or work with them, sayparental incarceration is dis-tinguished from other child-hood woes by a mix of shame,stigma and trauma. Researchindicates that many of the chil-dren face increased risk of prob-lems with behavior, aca-

Problems pile up for kids of imprisoned parents

BY DAVID CRARY

The Associated Press

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Research shows many faceincreased risk of trouble withbehavior and academics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

New Hope Oklahoma aimsto help 500 kids annually whohave parents behind bars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Youngsters are encouragedto share their experiencesand emotions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SEE CHILDREN, 4C

5 MILLIONNumber of U.S. children who’ve had at least one parent imprisoned

One of thehardest but mostnecessary dis-cussions Westerners must haveinvolves management of publiclands. Balancing the role publiclands play in rural economieswith the desire to recognizespecial places requires everyone

to be solution-oriented, respect-ful of other views,and honest inefforts to achievedurable solutions.Almost 15 years

ago Idaho’s Owy-hee County Commissionlaunched such discussions withthe Owyhee Initiative, an effortto bring diverse parties togetherto talk about the county’s eco-nomic foundation of livestock

grazing, wilderness, and wildand scenic rivers. The result wasa broad-based agreement andlegislation that recognized theimportance of grazing to Owy-hee County and the importanceof protecting the best of theOwyhee Canyonlands. Sincethat success, participants in theOwyhee Initiative continue tomeet regularly to review and actupon implementation of theInitiative. We knew early onthat success depended upon

following through on our com-mitments. Just this spring, allthe members of the Initiativeunanimously reaffirmed theircommitment to its goals. TheOwyhee Initiative remains acollaboration success story.Today our neighbors in Ore-

gon are considering similarissues with their Owyhee land-scape. It is disappointing thatsome are alleging partners inthe Initiative “did not keep theircommitments” or that the Ini-

tiative “didn’t settle anything.”Nothing is further from the

truth. There is no question Owy-hee County is better off becauseof the Owyhee Initiative. Ofcourse there have been bumpson the road implementing it. Noeffort to solve long-standingconflicts can expect an easypath, which is why Initiativemembers agreed to stay togeth-er to watchdog implementation.

GUEST OPINION

Critics aside, Owyhee Initiative stands test of time

BY BRENDA

RICHARDS

AND CRAIG

GEHRKE

SEE OWYHEE, 4C

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which includes all of Ada,Canyon, Boise, Gem andOwyhee counties, in-creased from 28.2 percentin 2000 to 32.3 percent in2014, according to theU.S. Department of Hous-ing and Urban Devel-opment.Vacancy rates in Ada

County fall between 3 and4.2 percent, depending onthe source, down from 9percent in 2009 and be-low the 5 or 6 percenthistoric norm.Boise City Council-

woman Lauren McLeansaid the tight market is aresult of more residentseither opting to rent orlacking credit to buyhomes since the GreatRecession.McLean is also a board

member for the city’surban renewal agency, theCapitol City DevelopmentCorp., which also wants toencourage housing devel-opment Downtown.“The rental market is

practically full,” McLeansaid. “The vacancy ratesare negligible, and ratesare going higher becausethere are more people inthe marketplace. Thatcreates a downward pres-sure on everybody lookingfor housing. It becomesvery difficult.”And some Boise com-

plexes are drasticallyincreasing rents. Newowners of the GlenbrookApartments at Cassia andCurtis streets gave 30-daynotices to vacate to ten-ants of most of the 112units to renovate beforeincreasing rates. Most ofthe tenants were refugees.The rents are rising from$575 for one-bedroomapartments and $650 fortwo-bedroom units toabout $900 and $1,000,respectively.Whitewater Park Apart-

ments near Wittier Ele-mentary School recentlytold tenants that rateswould increase, in somecases by more than 50percent. A one-bedroomapartment facing Quinn’sPond will increase from$777 to $1,176.

LITTLE HOUSING

FOR THE POOR

Ada County has anaffordable housingproblem, said DeannaWatson, executive direc-tor of Boise City AdaCounty Housing Author-ity. Watson’s office ad-ministers programs suchas Section 8, which pro-vides vouchers to 2,000households in the county.In 2012, 76 percent of

voucher holders were ableto find housing in 60days, she said. Today,only 60 percent do, andsome people turn in un-used vouchers after beingunable to find housingafter another 60 days, shesaid.Rental competition

hurts chances for low-income people such asrefugees, felons, veterans

and tenants with dis-abilities from landingleases, said Zoe Ann Ol-son, executive director ofthe Intermountain FairHousing Council, a non-profit.Tenants in the lower-

middle income range, whoearn too much to receivehousing subsidies, strug-gle to find rentals at the$650 to $750 range thatthe families she workswith can afford.“If you don’t make

$35,000 a year, it’s hardto find affordable housingin our area,” Olson said.“We have a hard timefinding housing that thefamilies we work with canafford anywhere under$900 a month.”Boise resident Richard

Williams feels thesqueeze. Williams, 58,lives alone in the HillcrestView Apartments on thecorner of South Orchardand West Cassia streets.Since a spinal injury in1989, he has lived onSocial Security, whichpays about $760 a month.He depends on the federalSection 8 Housing Vouch-er Program to pay most ofhis $650 rent.Verity Property Man-

agement, which managesWilliams’ complex, toldhim nearly two years agothat it would no longeraccept the vouchers andgave him a year to moveout. After a year passed,Verity extended the dead-line by another year butsaid the new deadline wasfinal.Williams becomes fa-

tigued after walking a laparound the complex,which he does three timesa week during warmweather. He started househunting last week and saidhe found few prospects forrentals in his price rangethat accept vouchers.He said he is lucky that

he just secured an apart-ment at Civic Plaza inDowntown Boise thataccepts housing vouchers.“It would have been a lotharder to find a place if Ihad family,” he said.

NO PROFIT MEANS

NO PROJECT

In 2011, a group of in-vestors led by David Walibought the old Macy’sbuilding at the corner of10th and Main streets for$1 million with plans toconvert it into affordableapartments. Wali said hisgroup planned retail spaceon the ground floor and64 apartments that wouldrent in the $700 to $800range on the second floor.The partners looked at

federal tax incentives foraffordable housing pro-jects and at opening theunits to renters withvouchers. But that wouldhave meant restrictingpotential renters who werestudents or who earnedtoo much to qualify forsubsidized housing.Wali and his partners

scrapped the plan afterdetermining it could notturn a profit, even if theysecured affordable hous-ing tax credits.“It just didn’t pencil

out,” Wali said. “Wefound there’s a gap be-tween those who qualifyfor housing subsidies andthose who can pay for themarket rate.”Apartment building of

any kind stopped duringthe recession.Boise approved permits

for eight multifamily unitsin 2009 and zero in 2010.That number grew to731in 2014 and 907 so far in2015. Agents say the unitsare leasing well, but moreare needed.

TRAILWINDS: AN

AFFORDABLE RARITY

Valley housing expertspointed to a recent projectthat has managed tothread the affordable-rental needle: TrailwindsApartments in GardenCity.Located between Veter-

ans Memorial Parkwayand 42nd Street, the 64-unit complex is owned byNorthwest Real EstateCapital Corp., a mission-driven nonprofit that of-fers affordable housing.The nonprofit managesmore than 600 units inthe Valley, including 390

it owns. It took a swing atdeveloping the Macy’sbuilding into affordablehousing before selling toWali’s group.Seven of the Trailwinds

apartments rent for mar-ket rates, ranging from$690 per month for aone-bedroom, one-bath-room unit to $1,000 permonth for a three-bed,two-bath apartment.The rest are available

only for tenants earning60 percent or less of theAda County medianhousehold income, ad-justed based on the size ofthe household. The unitsrange from $413 to $637per month, based on in-come, for one-bed, one-bath units. They top out at$570 to $805 per monthfor three-bedroom, two-bath apartments.While the Valley could

use more developmentslike Trailwinds, the areaalso needs more housingaffordable for tenantsearning between 60 per-cent and 80 percent of thearea’s median householdincome, she said. Landand construction costs aresimply too high to providethose housing options,Northwest Vice PresidentJulie Marple said.“A lot of the new apart-

ments coming in Down-town are not going to

serve these families,”Marple said. “Idaho has alot of lower-income peo-ple because we have a lotof low-paying jobs.”

SOLUTIONS?

Building the $11 millionTrailwinds was possibleonly because the nonprofitwill recover $8 million infederal tax credits that itwill pass on to its partnerdeveloper, VCD, Marplesaid. VCD, of Boise, spe-cializes in housing projectssupported by low-incomehousing tax credits.“It wouldn’t work other-

wise, and that’s why taxcredits are so critical,”Marple said. “It’s the mostsuccessful method thefederal government hasprovided to assist in hous-ing folks who have less-than-average incomes.”All of the housing ex-

perts the Statesman spoketo agreed that affordablehousing projects will re-main a financial loser inthe for-profit world unlessnew incentives improvetheir margins.Opinions varies on

incentive types and sourc-es.Watson said Idaho

should follow other states’lead and devote moneyfor bridge funding, differ-ence between a project’svalue for developers andthe amount needed tomake it profitable forthem. Many states eitherpay into funds with statetaxes, or they allow forlocal-option taxes, an idearepeatedly shot down inIdaho.Transaction fees on

permits could also supporta fund, she said.McLean said Boise has

taken a first step with its$1,000-per-unit programfor affordable housingdevelopments.

DOWNTOWN: A

DIFFERENT ANIMAL

In 2014, Boise officialsset a goal to add 1,000housing units Downtownover the next five years.To encourage building,the city offered to paydevelopers up to $2,000per Downtown unit thatmeet sustainability andaffordability criteria. Thecity offered up to $1,000per unit for apartmentsmeeting all but affordabil-ity criteria.Two developers have

applied for payments

based on sustainability,and the city expects athird to do so. None hasapplied for the paymentbased on supplying affor-dable housing.McLean, the city coun-

cilwoman, said 500 unitshave either been builtDowntown or are in theplanning stages. Plans forprojects underway fall inline with upscale unitsleased last year at TheOwyhee and the 951, bothrenting for more than$1,000 per month forunits bigger than a studio.Wali said only high

rents will cover risingcosts for Downtown prop-erty, making affordablehousing projects unlikelyeven for companies thatclaim they want to see agreater socioeconomicmix Downtown.“I wouldn’t say it’s

impossible, but it’s chal-lenging,” Wali said. “It’shard to buy a market-ratepiece of ground, pay ele-vated construction costsand provide a lease ratethat fits into the supportservices side of the market— the bank teller, thesupport services profes-sional within a law firm —that kind of person.”Wali said cities and

other entities that collectimpact fees, such as theAda County HighwayDistrict, could sweeten thepot for Downtown devel-opers by waiving fees.Downtown workers who

cannot afford to live in thecity core will increasetheir impact elsewhere, hesaid.“All actions have a

reaction,” he said. “It’smore traffic on I-84 andmore traffic on StateStreet. If you live closer towork, you have less im-pact.”The Downtown urban

renewal agency, CCDC,has partnered with LosAngeles developer LocalConstruct on two projectsto encourage housingprojects.The agency solicited

bids for developers tobuild apartments at theintersection of 14th andIdaho streets that is nowhome to The WaterCoolerbusiness incubator. CCDCchose Local Construct’sbid to build a mixed-useproject with retail and 39units.The agency also agreed

to pay for an incentiveworth $2.8 million for159-unit The Fowler onFifth and Broad streets inthe Central Division. Theagency paid to move his-toric homes at the site andagreed to pay for streetand landscaping improve-ments, and buy one floorof the parking garagelocated in the project, saidJohn Brunnelle, executivedirector of the renewalagency.“We wouldn’t do that

every time,” he said.“We’re trying to get thesnowball effect going forrental housing in theDowntown area.”Most units at both sites

would rent for more than$1,000 per month, doinglittle for low-income oreven median-wage ear-ners.

Zach Kyle: 377-6464;Twitter: @IDS_ZachKyle

FROM PAGE 1C

RENTERS

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

7%

8%

9%

10%

AdaCounty

Boise Eagle GardenCity

Kuna Meridian%ofoverallareahouseholds

Available housing units

Income-based demand8,440

5,724

254

342

285

93978

The affordable housing gap

Star

The number atop each city’s bars is the estimated number of extremely low-incomefamilies for whom no housing is available. The rectangles highlight the differencebetween available units and income-based demand.

Source: City of Boise

This graph only reflects supply and demand for “extremely low-income” households,meaning those making 30 percent or less of the area median.

Idaho: Less burdenedthan the national average

Sources: Apartment List, using U.S. Census data. Data is from 2014.

Most markets across the nation face the same problems thatcome with a tight rental market — or worse. Severelyburdened renters are those paying more than 50 percent oftheir household income on housing. Cost-burdened renterspay between 30 and 50 percent.

Cost-burdened renters

Severely burdened renters

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

U.S.IdahoCanyonCounty

AdaCounty

Renterhouseholds

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ZACH KYLE

As one of the Statesman’stwo business reporters,Zach covers real estate,technology, agriculture andwhatever else comes along.He and his wife, Catherine,rent a small duplex inBoise.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

KYLE GREEN kgreen@idahostatesman.com

Several tenants have already moved into Trailwinds Apartments in Garden City.

‘‘THE THING IS, IT’S BETTER AROUNDHERE THAN IT IS IN MANY OTHERMARKETS AROUND THE COUNTRY. SOTHAT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF HOW BIGOF A PROBLEM THIS IS, NATIONALLY.Ellen Campfield Nelson, managing associate ofconsultant agency Agnew Beck

‘‘THE SURROUNDING STATES ANDPROBABLY 40-PLUS STATES HAVE AHOUSING TRUST FUND THAT HASMONEY FOR BRIDGE FUNDING FORDEVELOPING AFFORDABLE HOUSING.Deanna Watson, executive director of Boise City AdaCounty Housing Authority