COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on some affordable housing units in Coeur d’Alene.
The organization behind the project, Habitat for Humanity, has been working on the 21-unit development since Spring 2022.
The initiative hopes to meet the growing demand for affordable homes amidst the current housing crisis in the area.
“Maybe six years ago, we could have bought a house in the area, but right now it’s like everything feels like it’s double what it was five years ago,” said Mark Tetzlaff, a participant of the program.
Tetzlaff and his family of six currently live in a two-bedroom apartment. They said they hope the new affordable housing development could provide them with a new opportunity.
“Here we can actually get something that would be bigger and it would actually cost us less per month,” he said.
Housing costs in Kootenai County have skyrocketed in recent years. According to Habitat for Humanity, only 20% of people in the area can afford to own a home, down from 80% in 2016.
“Almost all of our clients are people who have lived here for a long time, and just didn’t get lucky enough to buy a house when it was less expensive,” said James Casper, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity.
The units will start at $900 a month for a one-bedroom and go up to $2,090 for a five-bedroom home.
The development will host an open house on December 9 for families to see the new development.
“We get families ready to move in. It’s really a bright spot. They’ve been working hard, some of them more than a year, on getting ready to be able to help build,” said Casper.
Another 16 units will also be added to the development and are in the early stages of construction. Local high school students and other volunteers are working together to build those homes.
“The biggest reason why we can make something affordable is the contributions from the community. And their volunteer labor is one of the biggest contributions they can make,” said Casper.
For families like Tetzlaff’s, this imitative can be life changing. He said he is looking forward to what’s to come.
“Just having less stress about what you’re paying each month and knowing it’s not going up,” he said.
For more information on these homes or register to volunteer visit northidahohabitat.org.
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