housing crisis Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

As housing crisis deepens, local author explores how trailer parks might be “last affordable option”

By Lauren Paterson November 9, 2023

A mobile home community filled with grey and white trailer houses can be seen surrounded by tall golden grass under a cloudy sky.

The Appaloosa Community mobile home park outside Moscow, Idaho. Professor Leontina Hormel’s new book explains how trailer parks are some of the last affordable housing options left for people across… Read More

Youth homelessness in Washington is up, federal program aims to help

By Lauren Paterson July 18, 2023

A young man with a black backpack walks down a neighborhood street.

Students experiencing homelessness are more likely to suffer academically and are more likely to drop out of school compared to their housed peers, according to the latest legislative report in… Continue Reading Youth homelessness in Read More

Rural schools need more resources to overcome student housing instability in Central Washington

By Johanna Bejarano July 17, 2023

Some students in rural central Washington are facing housing instability. School districts have programs to help students Still, resources can be far away and hard to get to. N-W-P-B’s Johanna Bejarano reports. Continue Read More

Idaho’s homeless student population increasing amid housing crisis

By Lauren Paterson June 21, 2023

Three students in shorts walk near a maroon sign on a green lawn that reads "Welcome to Kamiah High School, home of the Kubs."

Students walk in the sun on the Kamiah High School campus. The Kamiah School District is a small school district in a town of 1,100 people located on the Nez… Continue Reading Idaho’s homeless student population increasing amid Read More

Final push to include Tacoma Tenant Bill of Rights on the ballot

By Lauren Gallup June 13, 2023

Zev Cook, far left, prepares canvassing volunteers in South Tacoma on Friday, June 9. Photo by Lauren Gallup.

With the deadline looming to secure enough signatures to get their initiative on the ballot, volunteers with Tacoma For All canvassed across Tacoma Friday. Zev Cook, field manager for the campaign, led a group of eight volunteers in the late afternoon around a South Tacoma neighborhood. Read More

Supporters of tenant rights bill make their voices heard at city hall

By Lauren Gallup May 26, 2023

On May 25, a number of supporters of the Tacoma For All initiative for tenant protections, rallied in front of the City Hall building. Photo by Lauren Gallup.

Organizers from the housing justice group Tacoma For All and their supporters gathered with signs and megaphones Thursday afternoon to show their support of the initiative, known colloquially as a tenant bill of rights, which Tacoma For All hopes to get on the ballot for voters this fall. The rally took place before a meeting of the city’s Community Vitality and Safety Read More

Nowhere to go: Facing steep rent increases, mobile home residents are organizing

By Lauren Paterson March 20, 2023

A man with a neck tattoo and a beige jacket stands in front of a green manufactured home in Latah County, Idaho.

Johnny Taylor is one of the residents of Abiel Mobile Home Community facing big rent increases and new fees, after the park was purchased by an out-of-state investment firm. (Credit:… Continue Reading Nowhere to go: Facing Read More

New grant to help people with developmental disabilities find housing

By Rachel Sun March 16, 2023

Andrew Adams waters the garden outside the kitchen of his home. (Credit: Kristin Adams) Listen (Runtime 4:10) Read By Lauren Paterson and Rachel Sun For adults with developmental disabilities in… Continue Reading New grant to help Read More

New Washington legislation aims to stabilize rent as housing crisis worsens

By Lauren Paterson February 24, 2023

A lone, small white house surrounded by yellow sagebrush is framed against a blue sky with white, wispy clouds.

A lone house stands on the outskirts of Kennewick, Washington. Bills aiming to curb the cost of high rents are before the state legislature. (Credit: Lauren Paterson) Listen (Runtime 1:00)… Continue Reading New Washington Read More

Many in McCall can’t find housing, even as most houses sit vacant

By Lauren Paterson January 26, 2023

A woman wearing a black coat and winter hat sits on the steps of white RV. Two large white dogs sit in front of her on a snowy, overcast day in McCall, Idaho.

Hannah Stewart sits on the front steps of the RV she lives in year-round in McCall due to a lack of affordable housing options. (Credit: Ashlee Fliney) Listen (Runtime 3:15)… Continue Reading Many in McCall can’t find housing, even Read More

Multiple Agencies Working To Solve Coeur d’Alene Housing Crisis

By Lauren Paterson March 23, 2022

A newly constructed multi-home complex in shades of grey stands before a wooden house frame still under construction.

A surge of new residents has caused housing challenges for Kootenai County / Photo by Geoffrey Roth. Listen In the second of a two-part series on the housing crisis in… Continue Reading Multiple Agencies Working To Solve Coeur Read More

Study Says 75% Of Coeur d’Alene Residents Can’t Afford To Buy A Home

By Lauren Paterson March 16, 2022

Housing prices in Coeur d’Alene and other parts of Kootenai County are soaring Read Listen: NWPB’s Lauren Paterson looks at the housing crisis in Kootenai County / Runtime: 4 minutes… Continue Reading Study Says 75% Of Coeur Read More

Out Of Whack: Lack Of Homes For Sale Sends Prices Surging, Frustrates Buyers

By NPR News March 23, 2021

A record low number of homes for sale is pushing up prices and making it harder for first-time buyers to afford homeownership. CREDIT: Gene J. Puskar/AP

Many Americans are ready and eager to buy a home right now. But they're having trouble finding one. Home sales edged down 6.6% in February compared with the previous month because there just aren't enough houses out there for people to buy. Read More

From Jobs To Homeownership, Protests Put Spotlight On Racial Economic Divide

By NPR News June 2, 2020

Malaysia Hammond places flowers at a memorial mural for George Floyd in Minneapolis on Sunday. Police brutality has sparked days of civil unrest. But the sparks have landed in a tinderbox built over decades of economic inequality, now exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

African Americans are 40% less likely to own their homes than whites. And blacks are more likely to hold jobs that put them at risk of the coronavirus. The civil unrest follows decades of inequality. Continue Reading From Jobs To Read More