Idaho

NLIHC has estimated a need for no less than $100 billion in emergency rental assistance and broke down the need and cost for each state (download Excel spreadsheet). 

In response to COVID-19 and its economic fallout, many cities and states are creating or expanding rental assistance programs to support individuals and families impacted by the pandemic, and NLIHC is tracking in-depth information on these programs.  

You can use the interactive map and searchable database to find state and local emergency rental assistance programs near you. You can also see the latest news on rental assistance programs through the state-by-state news tracker. Note that this is not a comprehensive list of all rental assistance programs as we continue to update frequently. If you are aware of a program not included in our database, please contact [email protected]. 

COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Programs

Across the country, homeless service providers are struggling to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to follow public health guidelines and help ensure people’s safety, some shelters are being forced to reduce services, restrict admittance, or close entirely. The loss of these critical resources puts people experiencing homelessness at even higher risk of illness. Check NLIHC's cumulative list of shelter closings.

Below is a list of shelters that have had to majorly alter services or completely close:

No information at this time.

The Boise City Council on May 10 approved about $6.5 million in federal emergency rental assistance (ERA). In partnership with Boise City Ada County Housing Authority, the city has provided $15 million in federal ERA to more than 3,200 households.

Updated on May 16, 2022

The Idaho Statesman reports that Jesse Tree, a Boise-based nonprofit focused on homelessness prevention, reported a spike in eviction filings after the Supreme Court overturned the CDC eviction moratorium. Ada and Canyon counties had 23 eviction court hearings combined, double what the nonprofit had been seeing in the previous few weeks.

Updated on September 14, 2021

Tenant advocates have seen an increase in informal evictions throughout Idaho during the pandemic. More and more landlords are not renewing leases or increasing rent at the end of the lease term, forcing tenants from their homes. Idahoans in need of rental assistance can apply here. 
Updated on June 14, 2021

Despite the federal eviction moratorium, eviction rates in Idaho are returning to pre-pandemic levels. States and cities that established their own eviction moratoriums are seeing lower eviction rates than communities where tenants were protected only by federal eviction moratoriums.
Updated on June 4, 2021

Despite the federal eviction moratorium, the city of Boise and the Boise City Ada County Housing Authority have continued to evict some tenants. A Boise spokesman says the evictions were filed against tenants who either could not be contacted to be connected for services or fell outside the protections of the CDC order.

Updated on March 31, 2021

The lack of affordable housing in the Treasure Valley is making it harder for people seeking permanent housing amid the ongoing pandemic and economic fallout. About 34,000 Idahoans are at risk for eviction or homelessness.

Updated on February 22, 2021

In the past two weeks, COVID-19 has spread in two Boise homeless shelters. Approximately 50 guests at Boise Rescue Mission have tested positive for the virus since the beginning of the year, with one guest and a staff member dying of COVID-19.

Updated on December 9, 2020

The Lewiston Tribune reports that despite federal protections for renters, more than a dozen evictions have occurred in Nez Perce County during the pandemic. Idaho Legal Aid is expecting a wave of evictions if the CDC does not extend the federal eviction moratorium into 2021. 

Updated on November 4, 2020

Idaho News 6 provides an overview of how the CDC’s eviction moratorium might affect Idaho tenants. While many advocates have lauded the federal order, the Idaho Apartment Association and local housing and homelessness providers continue calling for emergency rental assistance. 

Before the federal eviction moratorium was announced, Idaho Legal Aid was bracing for a wave of evictions. The organization has been unable to meet the overwhelming demand for assistance in recent months. The Idaho Housing and Finance Association’s Housing Preservation Program has also seen an increasing in financial assistance requests in the last several weeks. Learn more about the Housing Preservation Program here. 

Updated on September 15, 2020

Three weeks after the federal eviction moratorium expired on July 24, Idaho has seen a spike in eviction hearings. During the week of August 17, Idaho has 53 eviction hearings scheduled -- the most hearings scheduled since the state’s moratorium was lifted May 1.

Updated on August 25, 2020.

Hundreds of thousands of renters in the Idaho region are vulnerable to eviction.

Updated on August 19, 2020.

A letter to the editor in the Idaho Statesman urges Senators James Risch (R-ID) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) to support $100 billion in emergency rental assistance and a national eviction moratorium in the next coronavirus relief package.

Updated on August 4, 2020.

An Ada County judge on July 20 ruled that Idaho tenants have the right to a jury trial in eviction proceedings. The ruling reversed a law that has been in place in Idaho since 1996. Idaho Legal Aid services have already received twice the requests for need compared to this time last year.

Updated on July 28, 2020.

Eligible renters can apply to Idaho’s $15 million rental assistance program, which will provide assistance for an initial three month period. While advocates have applauded the allocation, they are concerned that barriers still exist for tenants seeking to access the funds.

Updated on July 20, 2020.

On June 18, the Boise Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter, went from no positive cases of the coronavirus to nine. Another shelter, Interfaith Sanctuary, is seeing a similar trend.

Updated on June 29, 2020.

Boise State Public Radio aired an interview about local nonprofit organizations’ efforts to support people facing housing instability and those experiencing homelessness.

Interfaith Sanctuary, a Boise homeless shelter, spearheaded a new program to house and care for people experiencing homelessness who have tested positive for the coronavirus or are symptomatic. People who have tested positive can stay at Cottonwood Suites hotel, and those awaiting test results can stay at the Boise Rescue Mission.

No information at this time.

Federal, state, and local eviction moratoriums are rapidly expiring and the CARES Act supplemental unemployment benefits will end soon; at that time, millions of low-income renters will be at risk of losing their homes. The NLIHC estimates at least $100 billion in emergency rental assistance is needed to keep low-income renters stably housed during and after the pandemic. This tracker links to news reports of the growing evictions crisis in various cities and states. Check NLIHC's cumulative list of eviction updates.

 Eviction hearings are surging in Idaho, where data shows 53 hearings in various Idaho courts the first week of August, the most in one week since the start of May. Of those, 14 are in North Idaho counties, the highest number in that region since the beginning of June. There are more eviction hearings set in Idaho for this week (August 18) than there have been since May, with more than 50 on the docket.

Updated on August 28, 2020.

Hundreds of thousands of renters in the Idaho region are vulnerable to eviction.

Updated: August 12

Idaho never had a statewide eviction moratorium, but the State Supreme Court did close all courts to eviction hearings from March 13-May 1. A recent ruling by the 4th District Court affirming a tenant's right to a trial by jury in cases of eviction could potentially offer additional protections. The Courts had postponed all civil jury trials until Oct. 5, so some evictions could be delayed until then. The effectiveness of this protection may be limited for tenants without representation/knowledge of this ruling, which is most tenants. Non-jury evictions proceedings can be conducted remotely. 

Updated: August 1

In the third week of July, 23.5% of adults in Idaho reported they had missed their previous housing payment or had little confidence they would make their next one on time, according to a weekly survey conducted by the Census. In the same survey, 44,583 renters reported they had not paid their previous rental payment. 

Updated: July 29

15% of households haven’t been able to pay rent during the pandemic and/or have little confidence they will be able to do so moving forward. Local advocates predict a "a lineup in the courts of folks being evicted" after federal aid expires at the end of July. 

Updated: July 16