March 2024

Ben Larsen, McAllister Hall, Lantz McGinnis-Brown

For the fifth year, IPI obtained all court eviction case data in Idaho from the Idaho Supreme Court. In 2023, 3,074 (about 1.8%) of Idaho’s renting households had at least one eviction filing and 1,256 (about 0.7%) were formally evicted. 37.1% of renting households with an eviction filing received a formal eviction. This is an 18.0% drop from 2019 and a 9.4% drop from 2022. The drop in the eviction rate could be a result of organizations increasing eviction prevention services.

Eviction court filings rose 44.2% from 2022 to 2023. However, the number of households with formal evictions only increased by 15.2%. Eviction filings occur when a landlord initiates an eviction case in court that may or may not result in the expulsion of a tenant from a residence. Formal evictions occur when a court judgment results in the expulsion of a tenant from a residence. 2023 saw a larger increase in eviction filings than any year since the pandemic, and eviction filings exceeded pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. 

Mediation in court helps tenants and landlords resolve conflicts surrounding evictions. Statewide, the percentage of tenants losing in court fell from about 60% in 2019 to about 40% in 2023. This means that more eviction cases are being resolved through court mediation services rather than court judgements. In Ada County, 22% of tenants lost in court, while 34% of tenants lost in court in Canyon County. Ada County’s mediation program was in place prior to 2019 and Canyon County’s ran from November 2020 to June 2023. Ada and Canyon Counties experienced lower rates of formal eviction than other counties. The next four most populous counties experienced a much higher percentage of tenants losing in court: 57% in Kootenai County, 66% in Bonneville County, 64% in Twin Falls County, and 66% in Bannock County. 

Summary of findings for 2023:

• 3,074 (1.8%) of Idaho’s 184,918 renting households had an eviction filing
• 1,256 (0.7%) of Idaho renting households received a formal eviction
• 280 renting households had two or more eviction filings
• 37.1% of renting households with an eviction filing received a formal eviction
• 1,805 landlords filed at least one eviction
• Eviction filings increased by 44.2% from 2022
• Formal evictions only increased by 15.2% from 2022 and were 18.0% lower than 2019

Visit the Evictions in Idaho webpage for more details

HUD Eviction Protection Grant Program

Ben Larsen, Lantz McGinnis-Brown, McAllister Hall, Vanessa Fry

IPI does data management for the HUD Eviction Protection Grant Program in partnership with Idaho Legal Aid Services and other partners across Idaho, Montana, and Utah. The program provides low-income households with free eviction legal services and representation. In March, IPI provided project partners with an updated data dashboard, complete with all program data through the end of 2023.

SHIBA Evaluation Presentation

Ben Larsen, Cheong Kim, and Emily Pape presented the results of the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) Program Effectiveness Study with SHIBA staff in the Idaho Department of Insurance. Details were provided about data collection methods including surveys with volunteer Medicare Counselors and past SHIBA beneficiaries, as well as interviews with SHIBA staff, community partners, and staff from programs in other states. IPI also reviewed the best practices identified in the final evaluation report.

Vanessa Fry Moderates Panel Discussion at ULI Annual Conference

In March, IPI Director Dr. Vanessa Fry moderated a panel discussion at Urban Land Institute Idaho’s Annual Sustainability Conference. The Urban Land Institute, or ULI, is the oldest and largest network of cross-disciplinary real estate and land use experts in the world. The panel, Infrastructure & Utilities – Geothermal in Boise & Future Energy Technology, featured talks from Megan Ronk, Director of Economic Development & Innovation at Idaho Power, and Tina Riley, Geothermal Development Coordinator at City of Boise.

IPI Staff participate in SPS Experiential and Career Learning Open House

On March 6, SPS held an open house for potential students to learn about experiential and career learning opportunities in SPS. Vanessa Fry and McAllister Hall spoke with students about opportunities to work with Idaho Policy Institute. Ben Larsen discussed the MPA Capstone course and projects that match students with community partners.

Treatment and Transitions Program Evaluation 2024, Year 5 Annual Report

​The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s (IDHW) Treatment and Transitions Program serves individuals with severe mental illness and/or a co-occurring disorder who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability. The project is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As the Project Evaluator, Idaho Policy Institute oversees all evaluation activities and works closely with IDHW program staff to design data collection strategies, monitoring, and reporting for this program with the objectives to:

1. Measure the program’s ability to meet its stated goals and objectives, and

2. Inform IDHW’s decisions for program improvement.

This report serves as the fourth quarter and annual evaluation of the program’s fifth year.
Key achievements in the fifth year include admitting 45 Idahoans experiencing severe mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders into the TNT Program with 12 of those individuals being admitted in the fourth quarter. To date, the program has launched four enhanced safe and sober houses and directly provided 278 Idahoans with stable housing and supportive services.

Treatment and Transitions Final Report

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s (IDHW) Treatment and Transitions Program served individuals with severe mental illness and/or a co-occurring disorder who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability. The project was funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As the Project Evaluator, Idaho Policy Institute oversaw all evaluation activities and worked closely with IDHW program staff to design data collection strategies, monitoring, and reporting for the program with the objectives to:

1. Measure the program’s ability to meet its stated goals and objectives, and
2. Inform IDHW’s decisions for program improvement. Throughout the course of the program, four enhanced safe and sober houses directly provided 278 Idahoans experiencing severe mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders with stable housing and supportive services. This report serves as the final evaluation of the five-year program.

Research Scholar Completes Faculty Success Program

Ben Larsen completed the Faculty Success Program (FSP), through the Nation Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). In the program, participants learn strategies to increase productivity in academic writing, while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Larsen will share the skills learned in the FSP with folks in IPI and SPS.

IPI Welcomes Three New Team Members

This March, IPI welcomed three new members to our team.

Maria Onaindia – Research Associate

Originally from Kimberly, ID, Maria attended Wellesley College where she graduated with BA in Mathematics and Economics in 2011. She spent two years working as a Business Analyst on a valuations team at Capital One before shifting to work consulting. As a consultant, she supported the software company NetApp. In 2014 she decided to shift her career focus towards service and became a teacher at Henderson Collegiate High School in Henderson, NC and later Rauner College Prep in Chicago, IL. She served as a 2021-22 Teach Plus Policy Fellow for the state of Illinois where she completed original research on recruiting and retaining teachers of color. For the past two years she has worked as a Senior Research Analyst for the State of Wisconsin focusing on equity in the juvenile justice system. Maria is excited to join the IPI team and will be moving back to Idaho this summer with her husband Eric, who will be a professor at College of Idaho in the Fall, and her three rescue dogs.

Matthew Wordell – Ph.D. Student Researcher

Matthew Wordell is a creative professional and business owner who is passionate about empowering aspiring artists and entrepreneurs through arts programs, non-profit partnerships, education, and mentorship. Matthew has worked in creative industries for over a decade, developing community-based photography programs for Treefort Music Fest, producing documentary photographic and drone work for National Geographic, Carnegie Institute, and National Science Foundation projects involving carbon and volcanological research in Guatemala, Ecuador, Chile, and Papua New Guinea. He currently co-owns and operates Visionkit Studio, a commercial video and stills production company in Garden City. Matthew holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and is currently pursuing his PhD in Public Policy and Administration. His research interests include creative economy, arts and culture policy, and non-profit and community leadership. Matt also loves mountain biking and backpacking!

Hannah Lang – Grant-Writing Support

Deeply committed to public service and driven by a desire to tackle systemic inequities, Hannah Lang has spent her career in various sectors dedicated to fostering positive social change. Originally from Bozeman, Montana, Hannah received a Bachelor of Arts in Women & Gender Studies from Seattle University and a Master of Public Service from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. Prior to attending graduate school, Hannah served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mugeba, Mozambique. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, watching baseball, and getting outdoors.

GUEST COMMENTARY: The mingling of church and state, MagicValley.com, March 02, 2024

Idaho’s Legal System Entangled with Christian Nationalism: ADF’s Controversial Influence Examined, BNN Breaking, March 02, 2024

Alliance Defending Freedom isn’t representing you, but Christian Nationalism broadly | Opinion, Idaho Statesman, March 04, 2024

Despite what you might hear or read: School choice in Idaho is expanding and working for families and students, Idaho Education News, March 22, 2024