A new study of housing affordability on the Palouse has been released. The Partnership for Economic Prosperity hired an Indianapolis based consulting firm to conduct the study. Thomas P. Miller Associates spent 9 months looking at housing issues on the Palouse in response to growing concerns from local leaders about affordability.
The study found that over half of the region’s residents agree that “affordable, decent housing” needs improvement. Over half of all households in Whitman and Latah Counties are either in poverty, asset limited, or income constrained employed. Housing expenses for local residents are higher than the national average at 44% in Pullman and 34% in Moscow. The study also found that local home prices are rising faster than the national average. The rate of increase in home prices in Whitman County ranks in the top 20% nationally, while Latah County is in the top 40%.
The PEP is the economic development organization for Latah County. The study was paid for by the cities of Pullman and Moscow, Washington State University, University of Idaho, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories in Pullman and the PEP.
The group will now utilize the information to begin discussing housing solutions for the Palouse.
The report can be found here http://www.pepedo.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/PEPHousing.pdf
Via KQQQ