(BOISE) The Idaho Fair Housing Forum has selected artwork from 18 Idaho students for inclusion in the 2009 Fair Housing Calendar. The Forum’s second calendar, to be dated from January 2009 to June 2010, promotes best practices and serves as a reminder that fair housing affects Idahoans 365 days each year. The calendar is free and will be available in September through Fair Housing Forum partners.

The Idaho Fair Housing Forum, a diverse group of communities, housing stakeholders and advocates, partnered this year with the Idaho Human Rights Education Center’s Eighth Annual K-12 Human Rights Art Contest, asking students to submit pieces focused on fair housing as a human right. "The Forum’s goal is to create effective partnerships that increase awareness of fair housing," said Idaho Housing and Finance Association’s (IHFA’s) Fair Housing Forum representative Erik Kingston. "Ultimately, we all benefit by reducing discrimination."

The Fair Housing Act protects all citizens on the basis of race/color, gender, familial status, disability, national origin, and religion. Through their artwork, these students illustrated the importance of equal housing opportunity for all Idahoans. More than 170 students from across Idaho submitted original work for this contest. All contest winners received cash prizes.

"We are so grateful to the 2008 student artists and the teachers who support them. Each year the task of the judges grows more difficult because the quality of technique, degree of talent and artist statement of each piece is so profound," said Amy Herzfeld, Executive Director of the Idaho Human Rights Education Center. "This popular statewide contest shows us that Idaho students have a deep empathy for human rights issues."

Top prize winners include: Hannah Wilson, Boise, Borah High School, 1st place; Jenette Noe, Parma, Parma High School, 2nd place; Thao Le, Boise, Riverglen Junior High, 3rd place; Jung Jah Alder, Nampa, East Junior High, 4th place.

Other students who will have their work featured in the calendar include: Kristin Chastain, Caldwell, Borah High School; Michael Clavelle, Boise, East Junior High; Kayla Stoker, Boise, Borah High School; Bailey Johnson, Boise, Fairmont Junior High; Kallie Taylor, Boise, East Junior High; Madeline Kroll, Boise, Borah High School; Rhianna Balderson, Boise, East Junior High; Derek Pascal, Boise, East Junior High; Hawke Wheelock, Boise, East Junior High; Kuei Ring, Boise, Jefferson Elementary; Megan Sears, Boise, East Junior High; Dalan Kerr, Boise, East Junior High; Mariana Nava, Boise, East Junior High; Jack Peterson, Boise, East Junior High.

Sponsors of the calendar are: Idaho Housing and Finance Association, Idaho Department of Commerce, the Affordable Housing Management Association (AHMA), City of Boise, City of Idaho Falls, City of Meridian, City of Nampa, City of Pocatello, Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities, Idaho Human Rights Commission, Idaho Human Rights Education Center, River Plaza/Oak Park Village, State Independent Living Council, Thomas Development Co., and Tomlinson and Associates.

Recent Fair Housing Forum accomplishments include an April Fair Housing conference at the Nampa Civic that drew a record 300 participants, and a new on-line resource at www.fairhousingforum.org. "The Web site has already attracted national interest as an educational resource for housing providers and communities," added Kingston. "It’s a primer for anyone interested in understanding both the basics and the complexities of fair housing."

The Idaho Housing and Finance Association, a financial services and housing organization, provides funding for affordable housing in Idaho communities where they are most needed and when it is economically feasible. IHFA uses no state funds or state employees to support its operations. For more information, visit our Web site at www.ihfa.org.