[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 82 (Wednesday, May 17, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                COMMUNITY SPIRIT ALIVE AND WELL IN IDAHO

                                 ______


                          HON. HELEN CHENOWETH

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 17, 1995
  Mrs. CHENOWETH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud the efforts of 
two institutions in my district that are pioneering innovative programs 
to meet the credit and housing needs of the citizens of Boise. Boise 
Neighborhood Housing Service and Key Bank of Idaho have been nationally 
recognized by the Social Compact in its 1995 Outstanding Community 
Investment Awards Program for their efforts, which are helping to 
address the city's critical shortage of affordable housing options.
  Social Compact is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to 
increasing industry investment in our at-risk neighborhoods. They lead 
by example, highlighting successful partnerships between financial 
services institutions and neighborhood nonprofit organizations that are 
working together to reestablish viable markets in which the financial 
industry can do business. By reestablishing these markets, the 
partnership reclaims vulnerable communities, transforming them into a 
neighborhood of active residents and homeowners with a real stake in 
their future. As a result of the annual Outstanding Community 
Investment Awards Program, Boise Neighborhood House Service, or NHS and 
Key Bank of Idaho were chosen out of 160 applicants as a model 
partnership, one that the rest of the industry can learn from.
  When Boise NHS began 13 years ago as a small, neighborhood 
revitalization efforts, Boise was just entering a growth period. Today, 
Boise is a city with soaring housing costs and high land prices. In the 
last 5 years alone, the cost of living in Boise increased by 139 
percent, while median income rose only 33 percent. NHS has responded to 
Boise's affordable housing shortage by forming a lasting partnership 
with Key Bank of Idaho, a financial institution committed to 
neighborhood revitalization. Their partnership is providing solutions 
both for lower-income families who need affordable rental housing or 
believe the dream of homeownership is out of their reach.
  As a result of the leadership of Connie Hogland, executive director 
of Boise NHS, and Michael Mooney, president of Key Bank of Idaho, 77 
families now live in newly constructed, affordable homes. Seven 
families have achieved the dream of homeownership, through the 
construction of Quince Cove development, financed 100 percent by Key 
Bank of Idaho. Key Bank has furthered its financial involvement with 
Boise NHS, supporting the National Neighbors Works Campaign for 
Homeownership, initiating a special lenders pool with other 
institutions to provide first mortgages to lower- and moderate-income 
families, and providing Boise NHS with an ongoing line of credit. In 
Boise our citizens have a great deal of civic pride in their city and 
the Key Bank employees, senior managers and even members of their board 
of directors also volunteer their time for community-wide events such 
as when the city comes together to help those that are unable to 
maintain the upkeep of their homes.
  Efforts such as those by Boise NHS and Key Bank of Idaho deserve to 
be congratulated, not only for their ongoing efforts to meet immediate 
needs of Boise residents, but also for their innovation in finding new 
ways to help the city and the community, making it a vital place to 
live and do business.


                          ____________________