Gem State housing alliance
Housing policy shapes what gets built—but people shape policy.
As Idaho confronts a housing shortage of more than 44,500 homes (about 5.5% of the state’s housing stock as of 2023, according to the Idaho Press), Lindsey Love is helping bring an architects’ perspective to statewide reform through her role on the Gem State Housing Alliance’s Policy Advisory Board.
Officially launched this week, the Gem State Housing Alliance is led by state Senator Ali Rabe and a coalition of architects, city planners, and housing advocates working to put homeownership back within reach for local workers.
The Alliance’s Policy Agenda focuses on practical, near-term reforms—streamlining permitting, reducing regulatory barriers, and modernizing zoning to allow a broader range of housing types by right. By supporting duplexes, accessory dwelling units, small-lot homes, and other forms of “gentle density,” the agenda promotes housing choice, neighborhood resilience, and better alignment between where people live, work, and access services.
Lindsey brings a deeply practice-driven lens to this work. As President of AIA Idaho, with a depth of knowledge of innovative construction solutions, and backgrounds in both affordable and high performance construction, she bridges the gaps—advocating for appropriate regulations that protect building occupants while streamlining solutions. Her role on the board underscores the Alliance’s belief that effective housing policy must be informed by those who are actively building and shaping the built environment.
Regenerative Building Solutions is working with institutions across Idaho and into Wyoming, as well as local partners, to create an Affordable Housing and Trades Training pilot program. “One of the greatest challenges to construction prices is the cost of labor - there are simply not enough trades-people in our community, but throughout the nation,” says Lindsey. This program will help to solve the housing problem from both the top down and the ground up by offering a Certificate of Sustainable Construction to those who participate in the training curriculum. This program not only builds homes but champions the Trades, one of the most under-appreciated workforces in our nation. We hope our background and our work can inform other rural communities.
