TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Valley House officially opened their newest facility on Thursday Aug. 4.
The new building houses 15 units for people in need of a place to live. They are a mix of family and individual units. Valley House expects them to be full by next week.
Valley House has been working at full capacity for close to two years. Assistant Director Kim Spiers said the pandemic mixed with inflation caused the perfect storm.
“When your rent goes from $900 to $1,600, that’s a lot of times too much money and it can happen to anybody,” she said.
Valley House has had a waitlist for their homeless shelter and the addition of the new facility will help lighten some of the homelessness issue in Twin Falls. One person who recently came to Twin Falls said the shelter has changed their life.
Idaho News 6 will not identify the resident by name to protect their safety.
“I’m extremely grateful. I was living on the street 8 weeks ago. Now I got a job working full time, got a vehicle, and now I have a roof over my head,” they said.
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Many people don't realize the number of people dealing with homelessness and Spiers said people are shocked by the how many people who can't find or afford a place to live in Idaho.
“People are always surprised to hear how many people are living in their cars with their families, how many people are couch surfing how many people live in tents,” she said.
Valley House works to help anyone in need during times of high inflation. They also remind anyone in need to not be embarrassed about asking for help and that they are there to provide a hand up and not a hand out.
“We’re here to help and a place to give hope and a place to give for the people that we don’t have room for. You know, how else can we help you?,” said Spiers.
For more information on Valley House, click here.
