Housing Issue Within Latino Community
By Monica Carrillo
While there has been more housing available in Blaine County, affordable housing is still an issue for many Latinos in the Wood River Valley.
As of right now, The current median for rent in the county is $2,300, with Ketchum having the highest rent cost at 3,297. Hailey’s average rent cost comes to $2,088, while Bellevue’s average rent cost is $1,320.
Daniel Hansen, community engagement manager at City of Ketchum, said that housing is currently an issue for everyone in the valley, however, many struggles that the Hispanic/Latino community deal with are some things that many people can take for granted.
“There are a lot of unseen barriers—beyond finances—to living here that many of us may take for granted,” Hansen said. “ Difficulties that have been expressed by our Hispanic/Latino communities include feeling like they’re on the outside looking in. Some may be new to the area, don’t know many people, are unfamiliar with the culture, or aren’t fluent in English.”
According to the latest Hispanic Data Profile book from the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs, almost 40% of Latinos in Blaine County don’t speak English well or at all.
It also states Hispanics in Idaho were much less likely to own their homes than non-Hispanics. Homeownership was 57% among Hispanics, compared to 74% among non-Hispanics.
Hansen said that before the pandemic Blaine County’s population had grown by 5% in one year in comparison to the normal 1% they would see years before, which in turn meant 715 long-term rentals were lost.
“The majority of renters displaced from the lost rental properties did not purchase a home instead, they left. As a result, there has been a massive demographic change in Blaine County,” Hansen said.
To help alleviate some of the struggle they’ve seen within the Hispanic/Latino community, they’ve expanded their team so they can work with them and their needs.
“Since 2022, there has been more housing available in Blaine County, but it’s still not affordable to most households. Blaine County Housing Authority (BCHA) now has two bilingual program administrators that assist our Spanish speaking population with navigating resources and finding housing. Many of the non-profits that these individuals are working with refer them to BCHA to help them find housing solutions,” he said.
BCHA and other non-profits also have provided case management and helped those in need understand what resources are available and how to take advantage of them. This includes where to apply for permanent housing and navigating and mediating conflicts between tenants and landlords.