IHFA Press Conference Launches New Housing Information and Referral Center Tuesday (Oct. 6)

BOISE - A statewide Housing Information and Referral Center will be unveiled at a press conference Tuesday. The press event, hosted by the Idaho Housing and Finance Association (IHFA), is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at their Boise offices (565 West Myrtle). Idaho Governor Phil Batt-along with various housing experts and advocates-will be on hand to launch the new center, which will provide information on housing-related programs and activities and referral to appropriate resources via a toll-free number- 1-877-438 HIRC (4472).

The new service fills a need identified by the 1997 Governor's Affordable Housing Advisory Task Force, charged by Governor Batt to explore Idaho's affordable housing landscape. According to the Governor, "This center is an important part of the implementation of the Task Force's recommendations."

With J.O. Cotant as chairman, members conducted a series of public hearings throughout the state, taking testimony from local officials, housing advocates and citizens who described their communities' housing needs and barriers. Members noted "significant confusion regarding where and how to obtain information on affordable housing resources," and proposed a central information and referral center.
"This is really impressive," said Chairman Cotant. "It's rare to see such quick results from a Task Force." Tuesday's announcement coincides with the one-year anniversary of the Task Force's report to Governor Batt, which contained a number of recommendations for improving Idaho's affordable housing future. "Besides the positive action we're seeing now, the process itself was surprising. Although some members traditionally compete for resources, I watched their initial apprehension grow into trust and cooperation as we traveled the state working on common goals."

"The new center will be a group effort among our public and private housing partners," said IHFA President and Executive Director Gerald Hunter. "We are excited to implement another of the Task Force recommendations, particularly one identified by the public as key to local housing solutions." IHFA was identified by Task Force members as the lead on several recommendations, including the new center, and will coordinate other projects that support affordable housing options.
Among these are a new home buyer education initiative, a study of regulatory barriers to affordable housing and creation of a statewide housing policy. The Task Force made 26 recommendations in its report; of these, 16 have either been implemented or are under development and 10 are pending.

IHFA, established in 1972, is involved in virtually every aspect of affordable housing in Idaho, including home ownership, housing assistance for special populations and emergency shelter support for regional homeless service providers. Task Force members felt IHFA was well-positioned to create the information clearinghouse.

Initially, IHFA will survey Idaho's affordable housing organizations and service providers to determine the most useful content and structure for a statewide housing database. Data and observations gathered in this way will augment information collected by the Departments of Commerce, Labor, and Health and Welfare; real estate and contractor associations; and a variety of federal and local studies. Additional input will come from caller's questions; once patterns can be established, efforts can be focused on the most common information needs. Ultimately, the results will be organized into an interactive database available via the Internet and a printed directory.