In a state long defined by wide-open spaces, Idaho is now grappling with a different reality: rapid growth that is reshaping where and how people live. What once felt abundant is, for many, becoming harder to access, and housing has emerged as one of the state’s most urgent challenges. At the center of this conversation is Gem State Housing Alliance, a relatively new but increasingly influential voice working to reframe how communities think about development, infrastructure, and opportunity. Led by Founder and Executive Director Ali Rabe, the organization is not simply advocating for more housing, it is pushing Idaho to rethink the systems that shape where and how people live.
Rabe’s path into housing advocacy is rooted in both personal experience and professional exposure. Growing up in Middleton, she witnessed first-hand what it’s like when a small Idaho town rapidly transforms. Middleton, like much of the Treasure Valley, is now playing catch up. Rabe’s rural roots have stayed with her, and her time leading a nonprofit serving families on the brink of eviction sharpened her focus. “Before founding Gem State [Housing Alliance], I spent several years directing Jesse Tree, a Treasure Valley nonprofit that helps people on the edge of losing their homes,” Rabe explained. “I sat across the table from thousands of families who were one car repair, one medical bill, one job loss away from eviction—people working hard, doing everything right, and still unable to keep up with what housing costs in Idaho today. It led me to want to work more upstream on the issue of housing supply.”
It was these experiences that led to the creation of Gem State Housing Alliance, which is Idaho’s first statewide coalition dedicated to pro-housing advocacy. Gem State creates a unified voice that helps policymakers navigate the complex, often politically fraught world of housing reform. While many local leaders understand the need for change, they often lack the political backing, technical tools, or community support to act. The Alliance steps into that space, offering not just advocacy, but cover and coordination.
One of the organization’s most important contributions is shifting how housing is framed. For years, communities treated housing as a question of local character, what kind of town do we want to be? But that framing, Rabe argues, misses the bigger picture. Housing is infrastructure. Just like roads, water systems, and power grids, it requires long-term planning, investment, and alignment across sectors. When cities plan for dense, infill development but utilities prepare for continued sprawl, the result is inefficiency and higher costs for everyone.
“When people think of development, they think of keeping everything the same, or high-rise apartments. That false binary stalls a lot of conversations.” She continued, “There’s an enormous amount of middle ground, including providing form-based codes, missing middle zoning, pre-approved plans, and streamlined permitting which gives communities genuine control over character and quality while still enabling the supply they need, especially homeownership options that open up different types and sizes of housing—smaller housing options—for our workforce. Some of the most creative housing policy work in Idaho is happening in smaller communities and they are doing some really creative and innovative things.”
Another misconception, Rabe explained, is the belief that we can stop growth altogether. “Civilizations have developed and grown for thousands of years, and stopping growth is not an option. So the question we should be asking instead is how we grow in a way that best serves locals, while ensuring young people and future generations can maintain the American Dream of homeownership, as well as the high quality of life that Idaho boasts.”
Looking ahead, the path forward lies in collaboration and shared learning. “I’d love to see utilities at the table earlier in housing policy conversations as partners in planning and education on best practices with housing and other development. There’s real efficiency to be gained when growth plans and possibilities are shared across sectors,” she said.
Cities across the state are grappling with similar challenges yet often do so in isolation. By fostering networks and encouraging knowledge exchange, the Alliance hopes to accelerate progress across the state. At the same time, there is a growing need for education, especially among newly elected officials, about what effective housing policy looks like. Housing supply is no longer a sideline issue in Idaho. It sits at the center of how the state will grow and change. We must now take these challenges and build the necessary framework and understanding that moves us from issue to action. Through its work, Gem State Housing Alliance is helping us move forward, linking policy decisions to the reality of Idahoans trying to find and keep a place to call home.
