Confronting the housing crisis

Amidst soaring home prices and limited options pushing people to the brink of displacement, Cache Valley residents gathered in the Logan City Library on Sept. 26 to confront the escalating housing crisis.  

 The meeting marked the launch of the region’s first YIMBY group, advocating for zoning reform and diverse housing solutions to address the growing shortage as Logan experiences an increasingly dire housing crisis, leaving many residents struggling to find a place to live.  

 As Sydney Lyman, USUSA student advocate vice president puts it, “Housing in Logan is a nightmare.” 

 The U.S. Census reported an almost 20% growth in Cache Valley’s population from 2010 to 2020, with more than 85% of that growth being children of current residents.  

 The Cache County Housing Crisis Task Force released a report in 2023 detailing the crisis.  

 “We have an extreme shortage of available homes across most socio-economic levels. Here in Cache Valley, less than 25% of households with householders 25 to 45 can afford a home at the average selling price,” the report reads.   

 To try and create change, residents Josh Smith and Megan Jenkins have launched the region’s first “Yes In My Backyard” organization, or YIMBY. 

 YIMBY refers to a pro-housing movement that focuses on accessible housing and policy reform. 

 “It’s very much about adding in variation and different options that are outlawed or only permitted in certain places or in small amounts,” Smith said.  

 During the Logan chapter of YIMBY’s first meeting at the library, attendees were asked to share their concerns.  

One resident said she was trying to find housing for her grandchildren but was unable to find good, affordable options. Another said he had the money and means to buy a home, but the market was too overcrowded for him to win any of his offers. Others expressed disappointment at zoning laws that prevented people from living together or on someone’s property.   

 The group aims to push local government officials to enact zoning changes to improve conditions and diversify options for different people’s needs.  

 This includes increasing the number of non-related people who can live in one home from three to four, minimizing restrictions on accessory dwelling units, and creating various styles of homes. 

 ADUs are small independent living units on the same property as a single-family dwelling, such as a mother-in-law suite. ADUs aren’t currently allowed from second East to 16 East, 14 North to Logan River and third South. 

 In a city council meeting on Sept. 17, Logan’s Director of Community Development Mike DeSimone spoke on the benefits ADUs could provide if restrictions were reduced.  

 “ADUs could provide additional housing on existing, developed lots with minimal investment for a variety of residents, whether student or non-student,” DeSimone said. 

 YIMBY also seeks to create affordable, higher-density housing to provide for students and free space for young families. 

 “Allowing more duplexes and triplexes by right, instead of requiring special processes, would be really helpful,” Smith said. “We have this existing stock of housing, so we can use it more intensively, add someone to each home, and that’s a big improvement.” 

 Another important goal for the group is to get more demographic groups involved, such as young families and students. According to Smith, these people are generally underrepresented at city council meetings and in groups like YIMBY. 

 “It’s not students or people who have jobs and kids right now,” Smith said. “It’s overwhelmingly older people who have often retired, and that means that they represent because they’re often the only voices.” 

 Although students aren’t the only ones struggling to find housing, they make up a large part of the demographic.  

 Lyman attended the first YIMBY meeting and hopes to see more student involvement.  

 “If students don’t get involved with this, their voices will not be magnified, and the need for apartments that house students will not be heard by local government,” Lyman said.  

 Many students are forced to pay rent they can barely afford, live in mold-infested apartments or share tiny living spaces with other people. 

 Although she secured housing months in advance her first year, Lyman still didn’t have much to choose from.  

 “I was a student who had to sign a waiver that there was lead in the paint on my walls,” Lyman said. “There was mold in the AC unit and the showers.” 

 Jessica Bruck, a USU graduate student, has experienced uncomfortable living arrangements due to the lack of available options.  

 “The first place I lived at in Logan was nice due to its easy access to campus, but the price was rather high for the quality of the house, and I wasn’t entirely comfortable with one of my roommates,” Bruck said. “I needed a place to live with the start of the semester approaching and settled on that space out of necessity, but I broke my lease within four months because of my discomfort.” 

 The best way for students to improve the housing situation in Logan is to show up and make their voices heard. Logan YIMBY has a Facebook group and an email list for meeting and event information.  

 “If students want to get involved with YIMBY, I would highly encourage them to,” Lyman said. “It’s a great way to advocate for yourself on a local government level.” 

 Smith believes that everyone should be able to find a comfortable place to live.  

 “We have a very high-minded goal of making Logan a place where anyone can have a home,” Smith said. “Right now this is a housing system that’s failing people, where when the music stops, someone is left without a seat.”