To learn more about the projects IPI has worked on this month please click through the tabs above.
September 2022 Updates
Project List
Project Updates
Community Health Needs Assessments
Aisha Kayed, Lantz McGinnis-Brown, McAllister Hall, KaraLeigh Troyer, Taylore Neher, Vanessa Fry
In September, the IPI team began the process of cleaning and analyzing data collected by project partners. This includes reading notes from focus groups and interviews to identify emergent themes identified by the community as challenges and concerns regarding health in their community. In all, project partners conducted 92 interviews and 58 focus groups representing a variety of demographics, including underserved communities. The survey data is also being prepared for analysis, the survey received 3,242 responses from residents in 15 counties across demographics, however, it mainly reached older white women.
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 second-quarter program data. These visualizations will help program staff see the overall impact of their work and evaluate the program overall.
Student Involvement
Kenny Huston has joined the IPI team as a graduate research assistant sponsored by Idaho Association of Counties. Kenny is pursuing his Masters of Public Administration after graduating from Boise State in the Spring of 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, minors in Sustainability and Climate Studies, and a certificate in Human Rights. As an undergraduate, he was the Student Body President and a policy researcher for Academic Integrity in the Office of the Dean of Students. He is interested in pursuing a career in public service and terminal degrees at the conclusion of his master’s degree. In his work with the Idaho Policy Institute, he primarily works in policy analysis with the Idaho Association of Counties as an inaugural liaison between the institute and the association.
Month in Review
Government Contracting and the Fiscal Sustainability of Public Services
Cheong Kim attended the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Montréal, Québec, Canada, September 15-18, 2022. He presented a paper (co-author: Taehyon Choi, Ph.D., Seoul National University) that explored how government contracting and contractor form were associated with the fiscal sustainability of public services. In the presentation, he explained the possibilities and limitations of government contracting in the operations of public service facilities.
Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange
Through a US State Department Reciprocal Exchange, Professors Vanessa Fry and Krista Paulsen, of Boise State University, are currently working with Ryan Fester of Development Action Group to explore challenges and solutions in providing affordable, accessible housing. Both Boise, Idaho, and Cape Town, South Africa, are confronting accelerated growth and housing disparities associated with amenity-based migration and legacies of inequalities. In September, Drs. Fry and Paulsen spent two weeks in South Africa as part of the exchange. While there they met with numerous community partners and shared accounts and analyses of Boise housing markets as well as the experience of neighborhoods and detailed strategies being evaluated or employed to increase housing access in the region. They worked with Ryan Fester to draw parallels to the Cape Town context and discussed with participants possible common solutions.
2021 Eviction Data Presentation
Ben Larsen presented the results of the 2021 Idaho Eviction Study at the Idaho Asset Building Network monthly meeting on September 8th. For the third consecutive year, IPI collected all court case data in Idaho. Data was obtained from the Idaho Supreme Court. In 2021, 1, 975 (about 1.0%) of Idaho’s renting households had an eviction filing and 1,107 (0.6%) were formally evicted.
News
“Community Needs Assessment Survey seeks input” Argus Observer, September 4, 2022
“Idaho support for LGBTQ rights grew after same-sex marriage became legal. What happened?” Idaho Statesman, September 21, 2022
Staff Spotlight: Melanie Hernandez
IPI Role: Work Study Graphic Designer
Secret Talent: Data VisualizationÂ
Melanie Hernandez is an undergraduate student at Boise State University, working towards her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration and Graphic Design. She hopes to build a career in the arts in the future and is looking to leverage work in graphic design alongside her love of illustration. She first joined the team through Boise State’s WorkU program in order to grow both her professional and design skills, and now continues to work with IPI as a Work Study student where she utilizes her talent to visualize data and professionalize communication of IPI’s research.
Current Staff List
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Director
Associate Research Faculty
Vanessa Fry, Ph.D.
Vanessa Fry, Ph.D.
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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.
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Research Associates
McAllister Hall, MA
Lantz McGinnis-Brown, MPA
Gabe Osterhout, MAÂ
Emily Pape, MPP
McAllister Hall, MA
Lantz McGinnis-Brown, MPA
Gabe Osterhout, MAÂ
Emily Pape, MPP
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Research Assistant
Aisha Kayed
Aisha Kayed
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Management Assistant
Valerie Hayes
Valerie Hayes
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Research Administrator
Britney Whiting-Looze
Britney Whiting-Looze
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Graduate Research Assistant
Elijah Kuisachor
Kenny Huston
Elijah Kuisachor
Kenny Huston
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Interns
KaraLeigh Troyer
Taylor Oxley
KaraLeigh Troyer
Taylor Oxley
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Work Study
Melanie Hernandez
Melanie Hernandez