TREASURE VALLEY, Idaho — Evictions in the Treasure Valley didn’t really stop during the eviction moratorium, but eviction hearings in court are spiking right now according to data from Jesse Tree.
In August, the number of hearings in Ada County ranged from three to eight a week. After the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the end of the eviction moratorium on August 26, the number of hearings in Ada County has ranged from eight this week to 23 scheduled for next week.
The Executive Director of Jesse Tree, Ali Rabe, said she thinks the reason for the spike is landlords that chose to wait for the moratorium to end before filing to evict. If you’re at risk of eviction there are resources available to help.
If you’ve received a three-day notice or have a court date, contact Jesse Tree. They’re in court every day trying to help tenants and also mediate between landlords and tenants.
“Everybody that we work with is supported with a case manager through the whole process and provided with financial literacy training, connections to benefits or resources that they need or employment,” Rabe said.
Emergency rental assistance is also still available. If you live in Ada County, contact the Boise City/Ada County Housing Authorities. For anyone outside of Ada County, reach out to the Idaho Housing and Finance Association.
There are a few requirements for this assistance: your household has to make 80% or less of area median income and you have to have been affected by COVID-19.
“Either their income has gone down or their expenses have gone up. We would argue that we’ve all been impacted by COVID,” Executive Director of the Boise City/Ada County Housing Authorities, Deanna Watson said.
80% of median area income in Ada County is:
- $42,200 for a one-person household
- $48,200 for a two-person household
- $54,250 for a three-person household
- $60,250 for a four-person household
- $65,100 for a five-person household
- $69,900 for a six-person household
- $74,750 for a seven-person household
- $79,550 for an eight-person household
For more information about emergency rental assistance in Ada County, call (208)363-9710 or click here. For more information about emergency rental assistance outside of Ada County, click here.
Rabe said you can get emergency rental assistance and help from Jesse Tree. The organization also relies on donations to help tenants avoid eviction. For more information on assistance Jesse Tree provides or to donate, click here.
