BOISE - Idaho residents benefited from more than $250.2 million in economic impact and investment by the Idaho Housing and Finance Association in 2004 through home loans, rental housing, rental assistance, grant programs and housing services across Idaho. That includes $20.5 million in South-central Idaho.

IHFA's statewide outreach and investment is detailed in the following table:

	State of Idaho	South-central Idaho
Mortgage Loan Investment	$113,359,838	$5,773,210
(Statewide - 1,230 loans issued to Idaho families, averaging $92,162 each)
Jobs Generated	2,289	237
(Construction Industry)
Idaho Personal Income	$78,218,454	$8,103,555
(Derived from Mortgage Loan and Rental Assistance activities)
Housing Tax Credits Allocated	$20,777,230	$1,157,991
(10-year equity value on Tax Credits for multifamily housing developers)
Grant Program Funds	$4,842,837	$520,302
(Includes Emergency Shelter Grants, Supportive Housing, HOME, Shelter Plus Care and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS/HIV)
Rental Assistance	$32,972,163	$4,979,250
(Statewide - 8,429 families assisted through Section 8 project-based subsidy and voucher program)
TOTAL	$250,170,522	$20,534,308

Aided by historically low interest rates -IHFA's rate has been under 6 percent for 33 consecutive months and is just 4.99 percent currently - 1,230 Idaho families bought a home with an IHFA loan in 2004. In total, IHFA invested more than $113.4 million in the state through mortgage loan activity last year. Since 1978, IHFA has invested over $3.1 billion for more than 51,000 home loans for Idahoans. Outreach and investment also included 180 new rental units.

The Finally Home!® home buyer education program graduated 2,060 people statewide last year, bringing its six-year total to more than 11,500 graduates. The home buyer education program is provided by the Idaho Partners for Home Buyer Education, a nonprofit organization. Classes are offered monthly in every large population center in the state through eight Regional Training Partners, including courses offered in Spanish. Class content covers everything from qualifying for a mortgage and choosing a real estate professional, to making an offer and closing.

Outreach and investment activities for the entire state are summarized in IHFA's Regional Profile Report, providing an overview of IHFA's involvement in housing issues around Idaho and offering a summary of the association's programs. To request a copy of the 2004 report, contact the Public Affairs Department at (208) 331-4884 or e-mail about@ihfa.org. You can also download the report at www.ihfa.org/about_regionprofile.html.

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The Idaho Housing and Finance Association, a financial services and housing business organization, provides funding for affordable housing in communities where it is most needed and when economically feasible.