BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Housing and Finance Association is kicking off the Avenues for Hope fundraising challenge on Monday. The statewide campaign hopes to raise money for local non-profits dedicated to helping people who are facing housing challenges in Idaho. It runs from December 12th through the 31st.
Before the campaign, though, the association helped a Boise resident and her grandson furnish their apartment. Althea and Kingston moved into their apartment last month but struggled to furnish it. Furnishing is often a barrier for people who are dealing with homelessness even after they find housing.
The association, along with other sponsors, collected donations and moved in new furniture which was revealed to Althea and her grandson on Friday.
“I thought I was going to faint," Althea said. "Because I’ve never owned anything like this. Any of this, I’ve never. I’ve been in homes that have had these kinds of things, and in the back of my mind I was always thinking, ‘will I ever have anything like that?’ It’s a life changer for me.”
Althea is excited to be able to welcome people into her home, something that came with limitations before.
“You invite people to your home and you ask them ‘would you like something to drink, go ahead have a seat, make yourself comfortable," she said. "I would not have been able to do that before. It’s an amazing feeling. I wanted everybody in here (volunteers) to be able to sit down you know and just sit and be happy in here with me.”
To support the housing challenge, visit https://www.avenuesforhope.org/
