Is my donation to ARCH Community Housing Trust tax deductible?
Yes, ARCH Community Housing Trust is a 501c3 charitable organization.
How do I qualify / get on the “list” for a home?
Complete an application on the on ARCH website.
Why can’t people commute?
They are not commuting – they no longer need to. Blaine County is no longer a center for higher paying jobs than the balance of the state. The median wage in Twin Falls for men is now HIGHER than Blaine County. Blaine County is facing a labor shortage because of the lack of affordable housing.
What are deed restrictions — how do they work?
Deed restrictions, are designed to retain the community investment in the property. This ensures an on-going stock of workforce housing regardless of what the real estate market does. It is a way to protect and retain funds used to provide homes for many generations to come.
The deed restricted (or covenant bound) house is owned outright by the applicant that is pre-qualified by The Housing Company as eligible to receive the benefit of this “below market rate” home. They typically have a conventional home loan sometimes enhanced by a second loan for down payment assistance. Once the applicant is in their home they are identical to any homeowner and their obligations such as insurance, loans, and maintenance are no different to market rate owners.
When the Deed Restricted homeowner wants to sell their home they are required to sell it to another approved applicant from the waiting list.
See examples of return calculations.
What is Affordable?
Affordability- as defined by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)—is when a household pays no more than 30 percent of it’s gross annual income on housing and utilities.
Why is the problem so acute here?
As a narrow mountain Valley, the amount of land available to develop is limited. We also have the values of preserving open space and rural character while trying to accommodate our inevitable growth. As in most ski resort areas we are surrounded by National Forest and BLM land which is unavailable for development and makes the area particularly attractive to part-time home-owners and tourists. Speculative real estate development is also a defining feature of our communities as well as those throughout Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and California where skiing and mountain recreation are central to the economy.
