California Coalition for Rural Housing Executive Director, Rob Wiener, adds:
"In California, including in the San Joaquin Valley, we have to move beyond the usual platitudes about having an affordable housing crisis. It is more than that. It is a human catastrophe of historic dimensions. It is not normal to have tens of thousands of our neighbors living "on the street" every day. It is not normal to have many more who are on the edge of homelessness. It is not normal to live in overcrowded dilapidated homes and to pay 50%, 60%, 70% of income and more for our housing. It is not normal to send our young college-educated children out of the state because they are saddled with enormous debt and can no longer afford to live in California. We must mobilize now with the political will and resources to significantly ameliorate the problem or California's future will be in serious jeopardy."
"These reports make clear that the housing crisis is bigger than any single community and no matter how hard local governments and their citizens work to address the crisis they need help from the State and Federal governments,"
said Matt Schwartz, President and CEO of the California Housing Partnership. Schwartz adds:
"Which is why we need the State to provide critical missing tools by (1) replacing Redevelopment funding the State took away in 2012; and (2) lowering the voter threshold for passing local affordable housing measures from two-thirds to 55% as was done for education in 2000."
Report highlights include:
- There is a need for 137,254 more affordable homes in the San Joaquin Valley.
- All eight counties lost more than half of their State and Federal funding since 2008. Collectively, this amounts to a loss of more than $138 million in annual Federal and State funding, the largest part of which was the loss of State Redevelopment affordable housing funding in 2012.
- Kern and Madera County lost 73% (more than $34 million and $5 million annually, respectively) in State and Federal funding since 2008.
- Tulare County lost 72% (more than $24 million annually) in Federal and State funding since 2008.
- Stanislaus County lost 65% (more than $17 million annually) in Federal and State funding since 2008.
- Fresno County lost 62% (more than $27 million annually) in Federal and State funding since 2008.
- Merced County lost 61% (more than $5 million annually) in Federal and State funding since 2008.
- San Joaquin County lost 59% (more than $16 million annually) in Federal and State funding since 2008.
- Kings County lost 57% (almost $8 million annually) in Federal and State funding since 2008.
- Even with significant recent increases, minimum-wage earners are still priced out of San Joaquin Valley housing markets:
- In San Joaquin County, workers must make 2.5 times the minimum wage to afford current asking rents.
- In Stanislaus County, workers must make 2.1 times the minimum wage to afford current asking rents.
- In Merced and Tulare counties, workers must make 1.9 times the minimum wage to afford current asking rents.
- In Fresno and Kings counties, workers must make 1.8 times the minimum wage to afford current asking rents.
- In Kern and Madera counties, workers must make 1.5 times the minimum wage to afford current asking rents.
In order to make substantial progress towards addressing this crisis, the reports recommend State leaders take the following actions:
- Replace Redevelopment funding for affordable housing with at least $1 billion annually to help local governments meet their State-mandated production goals.
- Expand the State's Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program by $500 million per year to jumpstart affordable housing production and preservation.
- Create a new California capital gains tax credit to preserve existing affordable housing at risk of conversion and to fight displacement pressures in rural Opportunity Zones.
- Reduce the threshold for voter approval of local funding of affordable housing and infrastructure from 67% to 55% as was done for educational facilities in 2000.
The reports also offer policy recommendations for local and regional leaders.
