Affordable homes ensure kids do better in school. Children in modest households in an affordable home score better on cognitive development tests than their peers in unaffordable homes. In homes made affordable through rental vouchers, children are less likely to be hungry, less likely to be seriously underweight, and more likely to be in good health when compared to their peers in unaffordable homes. In communities with enough affordable homes, primary care visits go up by 20 percent, emergency room visits go down by 18 percent, and accumulated medical expenses go down by 12 percent.

Right now, our policies cause homes to go up in cost even while wages for Idahoans haven’t kept up. Each year, the growing distance between wages and climbing rents mean that fewer affordable homes are available. Modest families and communities of color are affected the most by these dynamics. But if we continue down this path, our zip codes will determine the path of our lives. Families and workers will continue to be priced out of communities and our economy will suffer. To ensure fairness, we need to make sure that affordable homes are available in all communities: large and small, rural, urban, and suburban.