Blaine County Charitable Fund Receives $250,000 Emergency Housing Grant

A Lifeline for Blaine County Households

The Blaine County Charitable Fund (BCCF), a nonprofit serving Idaho's Wood River Valley, received a $250,000 Community Development Block Grant-CARES Act (CDBG-CV) award to provide emergency housing assistance for households facing COVID-19-related financial hardship. The grant allowed BCCF to deliver short-term rental help at a moment when federal pandemic unemployment supports were winding down and local rents — already among the highest in Idaho — were climbing fast.

What the Money Covers

The CDBG-CV funds carry specific federal restrictions that shape how BCCF can deploy them. Key parameters include:

• Income limit: Applicant households must earn at or below 80% of the Blaine County area median income (AMI).
• Duration: Rental assistance is capped at a maximum of three months per household (originally structured for March, April, and May of the applicable grant period).
• Tenant contribution: Participating households must contribute at least 30% of their income toward rent.
• COVID-19 nexus: Households must be facing a hardship tied to COVID-19 (job loss, reduced hours, medical-related expenses, etc.).

These rules are common for CDBG-CV rental assistance because the CARES Act required the funding be tied to pandemic-related harm and targeted at lower-income households.

Why Blaine County Needed the Help

Blaine County — home to Sun Valley, Ketchum, Hailey, and Bellevue — faces some of the most severe housing affordability pressures in Idaho. A concentration of resort-driven second-home and short-term rental demand has pushed rents and home prices out of reach for many year-round workers, including those in hospitality, healthcare, education, and public service.

When the pandemic disrupted seasonal and service employment, households already stretched thin faced acute risk of eviction. Emergency rental assistance funded through CARES Act dollars became a critical tool for keeping families housed.

How BCCF Operates

The Blaine County Charitable Fund acts as a central intake point for many human services in the county. Beyond this CDBG-CV grant, BCCF administers a broader emergency financial assistance program with funding from private donors, foundations, and government partners. Through a single application, residents can be screened for help with:

• Rent and emergency housing.
• Utilities and energy bills.
• Medical expenses and prescriptions.
• Child care and transportation.

For the CDBG-CV rental assistance specifically, BCCF coordinates with landlords to ensure payments go directly toward rent and to verify that households remain in compliance with program rules.

How to Apply

Blaine County residents who believe they qualify can:

• Visit the Blaine County Charitable Fund at blainecf.org.
• Call BCCF's office at (208) 244-5205.
• Work with a BCCF case manager, who can walk through eligibility for the CDBG-CV program and other funding streams.

Applicants generally need to provide proof of income, a lease or rental agreement, identification, and documentation of COVID-19-related hardship (such as termination letter, reduced-hours notice, or medical documentation).

The Bigger Picture

CDBG-CV awards of this size — $250,000 may sound small against national program totals — can make an outsized difference in smaller Idaho counties where a few months of rent support is often the difference between housing stability and an eviction filing. As pandemic-era federal dollars sunset, nonprofits like BCCF are increasingly working to stitch together smaller local, state, and philanthropic sources to keep emergency housing assistance available for the residents who need it most.