The City Council in2022, just two short years ago, approved an initial $250,000 to fund emergency housing in a couple of different ways, paying for hotel rooms and other temporary options.
Ketchum Housing Strategist Carissa Connelly said her goal is to house 60 families throughout the Wood River Valley—a fraction of the number of new arrivals in the area experiencing homelessness.
The Hunger Coalition reported 586 new families utilizing its food pantry since January, which is 47% of the total number of families they serve. Of the new families, 322 are from Peru and are seeking asylum, and 156 include children. About 40 to 60 of these families are living outside, while the rest are couch-surfing or have a similar temporary arrangement. This is on top of the already estimated 1% of Blaine County residents who are classified as homeless, according to City Administrator Jade Riley.
Mayor Neil Bradshaw explained what is unique about this situation.
“We have always worked with the transient community, and always worked with people who come here for work for the season and then leave after,” Ketchum Mayor Neil Bradshaw said. “This is nothing like that.”
Many of the immigrants have been “recruited to our community under false pretenses,” said Naomi Spence, co-executive director of The Hunger Coalition.
With shelters around the state full, according to Connelly, Ketchum has no choice but to improve local infrastructure, which does not include a full time homeless shelter.
“Twin Falls is in even worse shape than we are, as well as Boise. They have people sleeping outside in canyons, all over the place—and all the shelters are full,” Spence said.
“This is just incredibly alarming. What has happened is that families have gone from showing up here and living in a home with 10 or 14 other people, now all of those homes are full, and people have been pushed into the elements,” she said. “In the summer that is manageable, but we’re now at the point where we are talking about families with very young children who are truly in danger.”
