ARCH and BCHA divide the tasks of delivering affordable housing in Blaine County between development and stewardship.
ARCH develops affordable housing. Once homes are completed, BCHA matches households on the waiting list with available homes. They also provide ongoing property management and compliance monitoring.
Put simply, ARCH does bricks and sticks and BCHA does people.
Why not merge?
ARCH is a HUD designated Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO), as such we have access to funding set aside specifically for CHDO’s. This designation forbids our board from being controlled by municipalities. BCHA is organized as a housing authority under Idaho Code. The statute specifically requires that municipalities appoint board members to local housing authorities. Each organization has access to funding and authority unique to its organizational structure and we can do more for the community as separate organizations.
