New reports released today by the
California Housing Partnership (in collaboration with local and regional housing
organizations) document the housing conditions facing low-income renters in six Southern California counties - Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Kern, San Diego and Orange - and recommend policy solutions to state and local elected leaders.
Report highlights include:
- Alarming increases in homelessness in the past year including a 26% increase in Los Angeles County, an 11% increase in Riverside County, and a 6% increase in San Diego County.
- Orange County experienced a shocking 95% reduction in affordable housing production in 2017 and has a shortfall of 92,738 affordable rental homes.
- San Bernardino County lost a shocking 82% of its state and federal funding since 2008 without any local efforts to replace these lost resources, resulting in a shortfall of 72,032 affordable homes at a time of rising rents.
- Kern County renters are spending a shocking 65% of their income on rent, leaving little left for other essentials.
In order to address these housing emergencies, the reports recommend policy solutions for state and local leaders to take action on, including:
- Immediately investing $1 billion of the state's budget surplus to finance the development of permanently affordable rental housing and another $1 billion for supportive housing for the homeless.
- Restoring state redevelopment funding for affordable housing at an initial amount of $1 billion annually.
- Aggressively campaigning for the passage of the $4 billion Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond of 2018.
- Reducing the threshold for voter approval of local funding of affordable housing and infrastructure from 67% to 55%.
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