Yesterday, we celebrated a milestone that reflects the very best of Boise: neighbors, nonprofits, businesses, and public partners coming together to help ensure everyone has a place to call home.
The groundbreaking of The Sherwood across from the BSU campus marks the beginning of Idaho’s first supportive-housing community designed specifically for families with children exiting homelessness. Soon, 48 new homes will provide a safe place to live and the wraparound services to help families build stability and thrive. Every child deserves the security of a home—and The Sherwood will help more families move from homelessness to a future filled with opportunity. Families like the single mom I recently heard from who worked with a nonprofit to move out of her car and into a home with her daughter. After 10 months of living in the car, when she got the keys to her apartment, she said it felt like she could “finally breathe again.”
We’re building on what we know works—and saves money in the long run. A recent study by the Idaho Policy Institute at BSU found that $11 million dollars were saved by another supportive housing development the city built in recent years—driven by reduced emergency room visits, fewer interactions with law enforcement, and less reliance on crisis services. Together, through the Supportive Housing Investment Fund and our community partners, we’re investing in compassionate and fiscally responsible solutions that strengthen Boise for everyone.
Yesterday was a celebration of what’s possible when we work together, and soon, when it’s built and we cut the ribbon, we will be closer to being a city where every Boisean has a place to call home.
