The Boundary County Fuller Center for Housing
Transforming Rural Lives, One Home at a Time
By Angel Dwyer
“Affordable housing” is a loose term that has nearly all but vanished from the vocabulary of the average family in North Idaho. As the cost to own property and home has skyrocketed over the past decade, solutions to permanent housing for locals seem to be fewer and farther between. One nonprofit is trying to change that. Since its inception in 1993, The Boundary County Fuller Center for Housing (BCFCH) has been committed to transforming the lives of local families by creating access to affordable housing in Bonners Ferry and the surrounding county. Originally affiliated with Habitat for Humanity, the organization transitioned to the Fuller Center for Housing in 2017. Their faith-centered mission, in a nutshell, is “to provide adequate shelter for all people in need.”
Collaborating with a selected partner family, local businesses, churches, skilled tradespeople, and other nonprofits, BCFCH provides an opportunity for those experiencing housing insecurity to build and purchase their own home at a significantly reduced cost. Through their partnerships, BCFCH has successfully built 10 homes, four completed within the last decade.
The organization utilizes a thorough application process to select families, ensuring their resources go to those most in need. The selection board, composed of BCFCH board members and community volunteers, evaluates applications based on specific criteria, such as being a Boundary County resident for the last two years, the severity of housing need, income, and the ability to contribute between 300-500 hours of sweat equity toward building their own home. After being selected, families also go through finance classes that help them prepare for long-term, sustainable homeownership. Many of the families that BCFCH partners with have experienced homelessness or living in unsafe, substandard conditions in the past. For these families, homeownership represents not only stability, but a chance to break the cycle of poverty for their children.
The mission of BCFCH wouldn’t be possible without substantial, generous support from the community. Throughout the years, both local volunteers and businesses have provided work and materials at a considerably reduced cost, demonstrating the heart of those in need in our area. Teresa Rae, president of BCFCH, states, “I think some community members think that our houses are ‘free’ for our partner families. They are not.” Not only do partner families incur a non-traditional mortgage and are required to participate in the build, the community at large donates a large portion of their time, skills, and money toward each project. She goes on to say, “At some point, it also comes down to having capital on hand to purchase those few items or services that volunteers can’t provide.”
Ultimately, each home built is not merely a physical structure—it symbolizes, and tangibly provides hope for the future. In the words of Teresa Rae, “When a family can live in affordable, adequate housing, they can focus more on being productive members of society.” Contributions to BCFCH can be made by personally volunteering, or through financial donations. As a community, we can help transform the lives of families in Boundary County for generations to come by helping our neighbors meet one of the most basic human needs: sustainable, safe, affordable housing.
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It's interesting that partner families put in 300-500 hours of sweat equity and still pay a mortgage, since a lot of people assume these homes are free. I found costcodle helpful for comparing the real costs of homeownership after reading this.
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Love what the Fuller Center is doing in Boundary County. The sweat-equity model really changes how families experience homeownership, and it is great to see the community come together like this. Keep up the wonderful work! You can learn more about our outdoor gear community at Orbit Kick.