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Rathdrum resident urges council to reconsider rules that limit in-home accessory units for caregivers and independent living
Summary
A resident with a family member who holds a Section 8 voucher asked council to reconsider a prior decision barring the conversion of spaces within homes into separate apartments, citing long public housing wait lists and a need for caregiver space to allow family members to age in place.
Theresa Rangam, a recent Rathdrum resident, told the City Council that she and her daughter moved to the city planning to age in place and provide a caregiver space for the daughter, who has autism and holds a Section 8 voucher.
Rangam said she learned the council previously decided not to allow parts of single-family homes to be converted into separate apartments. She described lengthy wait lists for affordable housing in the valley, saying the Section 8 waiting list runs about 12 months, and urged the council to consider policies that would allow families to prepare caregiver spaces inside single-family homes.
"We need housing and you need families like mine who are willing to plan ahead and still meet the needs of their children," Rangam said, describing her desire to retrofit a bonus room in her house to support independent living for her daughter while she waits for an opening.
Rangam said she had purchased a home designed to allow aging in place but that current restrictions limited her ability to create the caregiver unit she believes her family will need as both she and other generations retire.
Council did not take action on the matter during the meeting; the comment was recorded during the visitor comment period.
