To learn more about the projects IPI has worked on this month please click through the tabs above.
June 2022 Updates
Director's Note
In June, many of IPI’s team members took some time off to enjoy Idaho. From staycations to outside adventures hiking, backpacking, and rafting rivers team members are refueling themselves after the end of another successful academic year. That said, as a year-round organization IPI continues our research throughout the summer. We recently wrapped up survey work with Ada County Highway District. We also worked on proposals for a number of new projects for Idaho Health and Welfare, United Policyholders, and Idaho Commission on the Arts. In addition to the work of IPI staff, we welcomed two summer interns and two Ph.D. graduate research assistants to IPI. We also began preparations for the fall semester which includes identifying project partners for the MPA Capstone course and soliciting applications for interns, see more in this report!
Best,
Vanessa Fry
Project List
Project Spotlight: Ada County Highway District Public Opinion Survey
Vanessa Fry, Cheong Kim, Gabe Osterhout
The Ada County Highway District (ACHD) public opinion survey was conducted April 28 through May 5, 2022 and surveyed 600 adults living in Ada County. The sample is representative of the county’s population both geographically and demographically. The survey addressed a variety of issues including road safety and quality, traffic congestion, and spending priorities. Key findings include:
- Most respondents (58%) approve of ACHD’s performance in regard to planning, designing, and managing efficient traffic flow and traffic safety throughout Ada County.
- A large majority of respondents (88%) rated the quality and safety of roads as excellent, good, or fair.
- Among various priorities, respondents’ most popular choices for increasing safety are roadway expansion (39%) and intersection improvements (21%).
- 59% of respondents trust ACHD to spend taxpayer dollars wisely.
Project Updates
State of the Nonprofit Sector
Lantz McGinnis-Brown, McAllister Hall
This month, IPI finished a project for the Idaho Nonprofit Center. IPI worked with Qualtrics to survey 582 Idaho residents about their trust in the nonprofit sector and their feelings about charitable giving. Trust in the nonprofit sector grew compared to previous surveys, with a total of 82% trusting nonprofits “somewhat” or “a great deal.” Most respondents also feel that nonprofits are either somewhat or extremely effective (75%). Respondents are most motivated to support nonprofits when the organization supports an issue they care about, they trust the organization to do what is right, and are personally familiar with the organization. The results from the survey will be included in the Nonprofit Center’s State of the Sector report.
Community Health Needs Assessment
Lantz McGinnis-Brown, Vanessa Fry, Aisha Kayed, McAllister Hall, Taylor Neher
This spring, IPI signed three separate contracts with Treasure Valley United Way, St. Luke’s Medical System, and St. Alphonsus Medical System to assist in writing the Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs) for the Treasure Valley, counties in Southern Idaho, and counties in Eastern Oregon. This month, IPI finished drafting surveys and focus group and interview protocols for data collection. Members of the team also conducted trainings for community members planning to facilitate focus groups and interviews. For the next three months, project partners and community volunteers will work to gather information from community members, IPI will then use the data to begin drafting the CHNAs.
County Form of Government
Cheong Kim, Vanessa Fry, Matthew May
This project examines how county government form (commission form, council-elected executive form, council-manager form) makes a difference in fiscal performance. Multi-year data is obtained from ICMA’s County Form of Government Surveys. Survey data for each year has been cleaned to facilitate merging them into a single panel dataset for analysis.
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. This month the team completed data visualizations for the first-quarter program data. These visualizations will help program staff see the overall impact of their work and evaluate the program overall.
Transfer of Development Rights White Paper
Matthew May, Aisha Kayed, Lantz McGinnis-Brown, Ben Larsen
IPI is writing a white paper outlining key takeaways from research on TDRs and considerations for establishing a TDR program in Canyon County. The research team will gather data mostly focused on surrounding partner cities and national best practices, as well as provision for TDRs in Idaho statute. This month the team reached out to planning and zoning administrators across Idaho and the Mountain West to get example ordinances and documents, as well as learn about best practices in established TDR programs.
2021 Eviction Study
McAllister Hall, Ben Larsen, Lantz McGinnis-Brown
IPI has continued collecting all eviction case data in Idaho for the third year. All eviction data for 2021 is now available on IPI’s website, including county level data. The team is creating an infographic which is set for release in July. Our results show there was an 11% increase in eviction filings from 2020 to 2021. However, there was a 1.7% decrease in formal evictions during that time. Roughly 1% of Idaho’s renting households had an eviction filing in 2021.
June in Review
Focus Group Facilitator Trainings
As part of the Community Health Needs Assessment project with United Way of the Treasure Valley, St. Luke’s, and St. Alphonsus Medical System, IPI conducted several facilitator training sessions in June. Community group leaders from across Idaho and Oregon attended trainings to learn how to facilitate focus groups. These focus groups will ask community members about what is working and what is not when it comes to health care in their area.
IPI Receives Grant from SPS Research Committee
In order to access the required data for IPI’s County Form of Government project, a funding request was made to the SPS Research Committee. The granted funds will be utilized to access data from International City/County Management Association (ICMA). The project team will use the data to construct panel data by merging multiple years’ data on government forms from the ICMA and fiscal data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
IPI in the News
“Survey reveals continued concerns about Treasure Valley growth and housing” Boise State News, June 28, 2022
Student Involvement
Summer Internships
This summer, there are two interns working with IPI. Tim Cornell is a recent Boise State graduate and will start the master’s in Political Science program at Boise State in the Fall. KaraLeigh Troyer is a current undergraduate student at Boise State majoring in Urban and Global Studies.
Interns at IPI have the opportunity to complete a project for a client from start to finish with the mentorship of McAllister Hall, IPI’s manager of student engagement. KaraLeigh and Tim are currently working on a project for CATCH of Ada County.
Summer Graduate Research Associates
Elijah Kuisachor and Dalten Fox are working with IPI this summer as Graduate Research Assistants. Both Elijah and Dalten are Public Policy and Administration PhD students. Elijah will continue his work supporting the SPS surveys. They will be working alongside researchers on the County Form of Government project. In addition, Dalten’s editing expertise will support IPI’s research reporting efforts.
IPI Seeks Fall Interns to work on Resource Nexus for Sustainability Grand Challenge
The leadership team for the Resource Nexus for Sustainability Grand Challenge is seeking two paid interns to work with the effort this fall! They will analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the group’s effort to create a transdisciplinary ecosystem. The goal is to examine interactions between the built and natural environment through the lens of multiple disciplines and stakeholders in order to build more resilient urban and rural systems in Idaho and beyond. Candidates can submit a letter of interest and resume through IPI’s student interest portal here. Questions can be addressed to Vanessa Fry at vanessafry@boisestate.edu.
Staff Spotlight: McAllister Hall
IPI Role: Research Associate and Manager of Student Engagement
Secret Skill: Uber-productivity Model
McAllister joined Idaho Policy Institute in August 2018 to assist with projects that involve educational research and policy. She has a master’s degree in Education: Curriculum and Instruction from Boise State University and bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Brigham Young University. McAllister has experience teaching high school math and conducting and evaluating large-scale survey research. McAllister is a model of uber-productivity – her ability to get things done professionally and timely is uncanny and admirable. Her sponsored project work focuses mainly on education, health, housing, and homelessness. She also supports IPI’s strategic planning and organizational structure efforts. In addition, students at IPI benefit from McAllister’s mentorship through her role as Manager of Student Engagement.
Current Staff List
-
Interim Director
Associate Research Faculty
Vanessa Fry, Ph.D.
Vanessa Fry, Ph.D.
-
Research Scholars
Cheong Kim, Ph.D.
Matthew May, Ph.D.
Benjamin Larsen, Ph.D.
Cheong Kim, Ph.D.
Matthew May, Ph.D.
Benjamin Larsen, Ph.D.
-
Research Associates
Lantz McGinnis-Brown, MPA
Gabe Osterhout, MA
McAllister Hall, MA
Emily Pape, MPP
Lantz McGinnis-Brown, MPA
Gabe Osterhout, MA
McAllister Hall, MA
Emily Pape, MPP
-
Research Assistant
Aisha Kayed
Aisha Kayed
-
Management Assistant
Valerie Hayes
Valerie Hayes
-
Grants Administrator
Britney Whiting-Looze
Britney Whiting-Looze
-
Graduate Research Assistants
Dalten Fox
Elijah Kuisachor
Dalten Fox
Elijah Kuisachor
-
Interns
Tim Cornell
KaraLeigh Troyer
Tim Cornell
KaraLeigh Troyer