Charity celebrates opening of permanent supportive housing expansion
MELBOURNE: A community is celebrating an increase in permanent supportive housing in the city, with the latest project marking the completion of work that began in 2024.
New Path II is a new permanent supportive housing community in Boise that provides a 95-unit addition to New Path Community Housing on Fairview Ave. for people exiting homelessness. The community provides on-site support services designed to promote stability, health, self-sufficiency, and independence.
The expansion includes a new six-story building with ground-floor parking, offices, and a 4,917-square-foot outdoor courtyard and garden, according to the city. The building houses 63 studios, 32 one-bedroom units, and a single two-bedroom property manager’s unit, while the first and second floors feature supportive service offices.
The development is specifically for Ada County residents who have been living on the streets for years. It is located directly adjacent to the original New Path development, which opened in 2018 with 41 apartments.
Permanent supportive housing is a strategy, often called Housing First, that prioritizes putting residents living on the streets in housing even if they are still struggling with addiction, have an eviction on their record, or a criminal history. These units come with supportive services, like mental health counseling, addiction support services, and case managers to keep residents off the streets permanently.
The support services will be supported by the city’s investment fund for supportive services, launched in collaboration with the Idaho Community Foundation to collect philanthropic donations to fund ongoing support for homelessness in the future.
The $5.5 million in funding for the project came from the federal American Rescue Plan Act COVID-19 relief package. The money was originally appropriated in fiscal year 2023 for affordable housing initiatives.
The project was developed as a public-private partnership between the City of Boise and The Pacific Companies, the project’s developer.
The City of Boise and The Pacific Companies celebrated the grand opening of New Path Community Housing II at 10 a.m. on September 30 with a ribbon-cutting and tours of the new housing.
New Path II is part of the City of Boise’s effort to build 250 permanent supportive housing units as the city works to address rising homelessness and rents that have risen out of the realm of affordability for the city’s lowest-income residents.