Idaho

Some Idaho hunger statistics from the Idaho Food Bank:

–An average of 66,300 (14.6%) Idaho families worried they could not afford food (known as food insecurity) between 2002 and 2004. And 17,377 (3.7%) families had members who actually went hungry (food insecurity with hunger) during the same period. This makes Idaho the 8th hungriest state in the country.

–In another study, the US Department of Agriculture ranked Idaho the 4th worst hunger state and found that 4.5% (22,098) of Idaho households experienced hunger between 1999-2001. In its previous study, done between 1996-98, USDA rated Idaho in a tie for 25th. This descent, from 25th to 4th, was the second worst among the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Only Utah’s decline was worse. (USDA: Household Food Security in the US, December 2002)

The Idaho Food Bank website has info on how to organize a food drive in your own community as well as other statistics and resources for your community and information about programs such as ‘Grow a Row’ (planting extra plants in your own garden to donate to food banks or other organizations).

“Poverty in early childhood poisons the brain.” A recent article in the Financial Times summarized research presented at a recent meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Research indicates “many children growing up in very poor families with low social status experience unhealthy levels of stress hormones, which impair their neural development.” For more information please read the article here (free but user must register) and this New York Times editorial (free access) that discusses the article. Another good article about the research findings is available here (free).

“Labels are for cans, not for children” states third grade teacher Valorie Lewis of Stigler, Oklahoma. Lewis overcame many childhood hardships growing up in severe poverty (including living in a horsetrailer for over a year) and she now works daily to instill a sense of worth and respect for others in her pupils in the high poverty school district she teaches in. Check out this inspiring article from USA Today here.

From the newly published toolkit, Homes Within Reach: “This toolkit was created as a place to begin a dialogue between stakeholders, and more  specifically, developers and municipal officials—two of the main players in the creation of affordable housing. It offers information about who lives in affordable housing, what developers see as some of the barriers to building it, and ideas for land use planning that encourage its creation. The design portfolio provides examples that range from multi-family development to mixed-use communities to single-family developments that match the surrounding rural landscape.” Follow this link to download the free pdf.

The Study Circles Resource Center has a web article about 2 of our Horizons communities, Bonners Ferry and the Coeur d’Alene Reservation. Check out what your neighbors are up to! The website also talks about other study circles across the nation and the topics they are talking about (education, immigration, racial equality, police & community, etc.)

The University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences publication, Programs & People, has devoted its winter 2008 issue to poverty and programs that the college offers to work with individuals and communities dealing with the real world impacts of poverty. To read the articles (including one about Horizons), please visit the publication’s website.

From the Small Business Advocacy Small Business Profile of Idaho:

“Small businesses are the heart of Idaho’s economy. Research by the Office of Advocacy shows that small businesses create most of the nation’s net new jobs, and they bring dynamic ideas, innovative services, and new products to the marketplace. They account for almost all of the nation’s employer firms and generate half of non-farm private output. New business creation is key to a state’s ability to increase its gross state product, state personal income, and total state employment. This small business profile uses the most recent data available to demonstrate the valuable contributions that small businesses make to Idaho’s economic health.” Click to download the pdf.

For more information about starting and running a small business in Idaho, please visit the
Idaho Small Business Solutions webpage.

Dr. Rula Awwad-Rafferty’s University of Idaho Senior Interior Design students are working in several Horizons communities who have identified a community center as one of their vision/action items. The students will present their initial design concepts during a class presentation on Wednesday, November 14 from 2:30 – 5:30 at the UI campus. The students will also be sharing their initial concept designs with individual communities electronically.

The students will also host a final presentation/reception at the conclusion of the semester for all Horizons communities. The class is also researching best practices for community center design, funding and other related issues. The UI students will present their final designs and answering questions. We are still in the planning stages and will get more information to you shortly. The event is tentatively scheduled for the 2nd week in December. We’ll post more information here as soon as it’s available.

Inspired by the successful and innovative Handmade in America collaboration in the Blue Mountains of North Carolina, Two Degrees Northwest is about creating a place-based economy, where dollars are firmly tied to heritage, landscape and community. Moreover, it fosters regional thinking, entrepreneurism, and community and resource stewardship.

Uniquely Idaho is a collaborative effort of… University of Idaho Extension — Idaho Dept. of Commerce — USDA Rural Development — Idaho Rural Partnership — Idaho Transportation Department — Idaho Commission on the Arts — Idaho Department of Agriculture — Idaho State Historical Society — Idaho Parks and Recreation — And countless local and regional partners!

Click here to read the first issue of the Uniquely Idaho Newsletter and see what’s going on in YOUR community.

For more information, please contact Lorie Higgins, University of Idaho Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology (higgins@uidaho.edu; 208-885-9717)

“We’re at the low end of middle income and we’re living worse than if we were on welfare.” Read about this family’s struggle to buy their own home, their experience with predatory lending and a less than perfect credit rating. (From the Dalles Chronicle)