Building Hope Against the Odds

When Zeb Moers describes LEAP Housing, he doesn’t reach for statistics or mission statements. He starts with something simpler: “I personally think when somebody’s thinking about LEAP, they’re thinking about people who say yes.”

That philosophy—saying yes when others default to no—has driven the Boise-based nonprofit from four shipping container homes in 2018 to over 500 housing units today. But in a state where “affordable housing” can be a loaded term and federal funding is viewed with suspicion in some communities, saying yes requires more than good intentions. It requires strategy, patience, and a willingness to meet people where they are.

“We have a big task on our hands,” Zeb says. “Housing is a pretty big deal. Everyone agrees it’s a problem, but not enough is being done to advance solutions. We want to be known for trying anything and doing anything to get more units on board that Idahoans can afford.”

When Crisis Calls for Speed

LEAP wasn’t always in the housing business. Founded in 2008 with a global focus, the organization made its pivot in 2016 when founder Bart Cochran, a real estate agent and multi-generational Idahoan, started seeing the writing on the wall. Refugees arriving through resettlement programs were being dropped off at hotels, burning through their limited resources. Working families couldn’t compete in an increasingly expensive housing market.

For Bart, the response was faith-driven: look around at your neighbors, at the people you love, and ask if there’s a better way.

“That’s when LEAP made its pivot to focus on housing in our backyard,” Zeb explains. “We started mostly as a service provider with a few homes. When I joined the team in August 2019, they’d just held the ribbon cutting for our first project—four units built from shipping containers on donated land in Northwest Boise.”

“But by 2020, our community partners were telling us: we don’t need more services. We need more units.”

So LEAP transitioned to construction, applying developer expertise through their nonprofit mission. Today, they’re aiming for 1,000 housing opportunities by the end of 2026.

“People told us that was aspirational,” Zeb says. “But how are we going to make real change if we’re not aspirational? We’ve got to dream and go toward the dream.”

The urgency isn’t theoretical. Idaho is 25,000 affordable housing units short of what’s needed, and demand keeps growing. According to LEAP’s 2025 Housing Index Report, newcomers to rural Idaho communities are often earning $20,000–$40,000 more per year than longtime residents, intensifying competition for limited housing stock.

“We’re hurtling forward at a million miles an hour,” Zeb admits. “The need is so high that we can’t wait. We don’t feel like we have the opportunity to wait.”

From Opposition to Ownership

That speed comes with challenges, especially in a state where housing development can trigger fierce community resistance. Zeb learned this firsthand when he went door-to-door in Mountain Home, canvassing neighbors before LEAP’s Falcons Landing project broke ground.

“A lot of people were like, ‘Oh no, I do not want that. I don’t want those people over there,'” he recalls. “But then you say, ‘How much does a kindergarten teacher make in Mountain Home? They’re eligible to move in.’ Those people are the backbone of our communities.”

By showing residents architectural renderings of the planned buildings and talking face to face about who would actually live there, opposition softened. One neighbor who initially resisted told Zeb she worried her daughter couldn’t afford to live in Mountain Home anymore. When she saw the plans, her response changed: “My property value is going up.”

That experience taught LEAP the importance of community engagement—and the power of beautiful design to counter stereotypes about affordable housing.

“We want anybody—a donor who gives us a million dollars a year to somebody who gives us $20 a month to our current residents—we want everybody to walk in and be like, ‘I’d live here,'” Zeb says.

Finding Another Way to Yes

LEAP’s willingness to adapt extends beyond design aesthetics. In some Idaho communities, federal housing programs carry political baggage. For their Priest River project in Bonner County, LEAP learned that any connection to federal funding would create problems.

“There are some pockets of Idaho where federal funding is viewed with skepticism,” Zeb explains. “It comes from a deeply held belief in self-reliance and local control—values that have served Idaho communities well. But there’s sometimes a misunderstanding that federal housing programs come with political strings attached beyond basic compliance requirements.”

Rather than fight that sentiment, LEAP worked around it. They partnered with the local Kaniksu Land Trust, secured a construction loan through Spokane Teachers Credit Union, and relied on community donations to fund six homes that look identical to existing neighborhood housing.

“We’re not here to tell communities what we require to do business,” Zeb says. “We’re here to listen to communities and work toward a solution that works for them.”

This flexibility has become central to LEAP’s identity. They’ve learned to speak the language that resonates locally—using “workforce housing” instead of “affordable housing” to match terminology that Idaho’s leaders embrace.

Beyond Four Walls

For LEAP, housing is the starting point, not the destination. Unlike traditional property management companies focused primarily on rent collection, LEAP approaches residents as partners.

“Housing is just the first step,” Zeb explains. “There are things like health, education, food security, transportation—a whole host of things that impact social determinants of health, and housing is one aspect of that.”

When housing costs drop to 30-35% of household income instead of 50% or more, families gain something invaluable: mental freedom.

“If you’re stressed about how to pay for dinner tomorrow, you can’t think about building up savings for a down payment or affording childcare,” Zeb says. “When you have that housing stability, you can think six months or a year down the line.”

The Ecosystem Approach

LEAP operates as part of a broader housing ecosystem in the Treasure Valley. While organizations like CATCH Idaho help people exit homelessness and Jesse Tree prevent evictions, LEAP focuses on creating the inventory that allows those services to be even more effective.

“They just need more units, and they would have the homes to serve more clients,” Zeb says of his nonprofit partners. “We’re the inventory provider, so to speak.”

That collaborative approach extends to LEAP’s financing innovations. They’ve established their own Community Development Financial Institution, allowing community members to invest directly in LEAP’s work—earning financial returns while creating social impact, all while supporting housing development.

What Keeps Them Going

After five years at LEAP, Zeb has seen the organization grow from a scrappy startup to a recognized leader in Idaho housing. In 2023, the Idaho Nonprofit Center named LEAP the “Talented Nonprofit of Idaho.” CEO Bart Cochran has received Good Neighbor Awards from both the Boise Regional Realtors and Idaho Association of Realtors.

But for Zeb, the recognition that matters most comes from residents whose lives have stabilized because they finally have an affordable place to call home.

“What we’re in the business of is hope,” he says. “Everyday Idahoans are just trying to get a job, pay bills, and be a good community member. With all the macroeconomic issues, people just don’t have a chance. We love our neighbors and want to see people have a chance at success.”

The work isn’t easy. LEAP’s entire team operates at maximum capacity, driven by the scale of need across Idaho. There are still communities that resist their projects, still funding challenges, still political headwinds to navigate.

But they keep showing up, project by project, conversation by conversation, unit by unit.

“We’re all on the same team at the end of the day,” Zeb says. “And in crisis, there’s always opportunity. Let’s buckle up, put on our gloves, link arms, and do something about it.”

Twenty-five thousand units behind and counting, Idaho needs people willing to say yes to solutions, even when they’re complicated. LEAP Housing is building those solutions one home, one partnership, one community conversation at a time. Because in a state where no is easy, LEAP is building homes—and hope—by choosing “yes,” every single time.