Workers need to earn $41.77 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Contra Costa County, Contra Costa Health officials told the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday in the agency’s annual report on county homelessness.
“I actually got some updated information yesterday, so it didn’t make it in here and it’s actually increased to almost $44 an hour, so it’s even more dire than what we have up on the screen,” Christy Saxton, director of health, housing and homeless services for CCH, told the board.
“That equates to three full-time minimum wage jobs. That’s a lot of work in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Contra Costa.”
Saxton said in neighboring Solano County, workers need about $33 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment.
“It shows that disparity of what we’re dealing with here in Contra Costa,” Saxton said. “That cost of housing is one of the single biggest factors in the rate of homelessness across the country, not just for Contra Costa, but across the country.”
The report said the cost of housing is the biggest factor in the county’s levels of homelessness, which 2,372 people were experiencing during the county’s 2023 annual point in time count of people without housing.
The number of homeless people in the county is likely closer to 10,000, county officials said, due to the count being over one two- to three-hour period earlier this year that took place not long after one of last winter’s severe storms forced many people to flee encampments.
“That’s just who we happened to count that day,” said Supervisor Candace Andersen. “And as you go further down in your presentation, the community is going to see that we have served through a continuum of (health) care, over 10,000 individuals who are homeless.”
The report also said 30 percent of 5,849 households in “crisis response” in 2022 exited to temporary or permanent housing and 87 percent of 1,169 households using prevention services retained or exited into permanent housing, a number Saxton said showed the county does well in finding housing for those in need.
The report said 1,632 individuals had 7,559 total health care visits, whether they were going to county health facilities or workers were coming to them. It also said 96 percent of 1,116 households served in county permanent housing programs retained their housing.
Overall, Contra Costa Health served 19,136 individuals in 2022 from 10,600 households.
28 comments
I don’t buy that the cost of housing is why someone decides to live on the street. I think the cause of a high percentage homelessness is the ability for people, that want to, to live on the street, find enough hand outs and live without any rules. If I had a job and couldn’t afford to live in the area, I would move. I wouldn’t just go live under a bridge.
@ WC—CREEKER~
Some folks are on Disability due to mental or physical issues. Their income may not even allow them to even rent a room in a shared rental. Yes, there are the ones looking for handouts and don’t want to be following the rules and they may have drug & alcohol addictions. But I feel you have overlooked the whole picture of all the issues of homeless on the streets.
@ROZ agree, those situations exists too. But the Supervisors are relating everything to a cost of a rental. For the situations you mention, those people need the help of our safety net services, but they need to go and get them.
Almost half of all Americans have zero or very little savings. Moving out of the area not only requires a new job, but also a new deposit on an apartment/room plus first month’s rent, amongst all the other moving expenses. This is just not possible for people with bad credit that live paycheck to paycheck. I’ve met a lot of people that became homeless this way. They still have jobs but they’re homeless. The system is certainly failing these people.
Then this is what money should be spent on – helping people to move to a more affordable location. Not on purchasing parking lots to build yet another tent city. And not to fund “homeless advocates” who would build such a tent city at a cost of $40k per tent. I kid you not – $40K per tent is the cost that one so-called “non-profit” charged LA.
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Blah-blah-blah. Statistics and data can be easily skewed and biased to fit whomever’s narrative.
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Hey Christy Saxton, how about getting the state and the county to lower the taxes.
Yet politicians do nothing to stem foreign all cash purchases of homes and apartments.
Also partly to blame for increased housing demand is open Border.
‘…Border Patrol dumps buses full of MIGRANTS at overwhelmed San Diego center as California city continues to struggle with 1,200 arrivals every DAY’
dailymail https://tinyurl.com/3ppkjv4h
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Would be interesting to know how many residences housed multiple families.
If it’s too expensive to live here, relocate to a cheaper area. Makes sense to me.
They probably can’t relocate because they don’t have the money to do so. The “cushy” here don’t seem to actually realize who bad Bidenflation is.
Everyone of you is wrong but KRS….. if he/she actually has a position on the subject that is…. but you’re all cruel & ignorant!
What is the point in using a two bedroom apartment I’ve always lived in either one bedrooms or Studios if I was by myself if you have a two-bedroom apartment you could rent one of the rooms out and cut these numbers in half right?
Please don’t call it “Homelessness”
Call it what it is – “The Substance Addicted Living System”
I like that. It is a better term than saying homeless.
No, the “homeless” are feral people..
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Also known as “bums”.
AKA – HOBOS ………. Human Occupants Beneath Overpass Structures
Most of the homeless people I see in the area are males. A lot seem to be middle-age or older. I wonder how many of these guys lost their housing due to divorce, leaving the wife and, perhaps, kids in the house or apartment? Whatever the reason, making housing more affordable seems to be only part of any solution.
None of them. Absolutely NONE of them got there that way. It is drugs. Just drugs and making that choice again and again.
It’s sad how utterly futile this type of thinking is. You could give each homeless person $100,000 a year and they are not suddenly going to turn into upright, law-abiding citizens. In fact, the homeless problem would get much worse.
There is only one solution, but of course it will never be enacted. First each homeless person should be evaluated for drug and alcohol addiction. Those that are addicted are moved into treatment programs. This would take care of at least 90% of the population. For those that have fallen on hard times and need a leg up, give them a leg up. The third group, who are not addicted but just like living on the streets, I don’t know what you do with them. Still, that’s a small % of the total.
Maybe it is time for the state to start building something similar to the Cabrini Greens. Something has seriously gone wrong with our society. Lawlessness and drugs? Crooked power hungry politicians? Greed? Overpopulation? Sabotage?
Liberals.
Corporations can afford to pay $44/h, but small businesses won’t survive. We need real solutions now, unfortunately with elections next year all we’re going to do is kick the can down the road, again.
Years ago when our boarders were closed, and you were arrested for living on the sidewalks we did not have this problem. Hum what to do what to do.
So you need to make $41.77/hour to afford a 2 bedroom apartment ….
Seems awfully precise. Wonder how they came up with that?
Well, you have to take into account your entertainment budget. Then there is money for alcohol and drugs. Can’t forget the cell phone, nails, and hair. Oh! And fast food budget. Yeah. I think that covers it?
Absolute BS.People that couldnt afford rent just didnt move to a cheaper area or get roomates,instead they began to live on the streets???Poppy cock.Its a bunch of mentally ill/alcoholic/drug addicts.The down on their luck camp outs that are very temporary make up maybe %1 to %2.Liberals lying to cover their failures is what we have here.They wont admit what the real problems are because they are unsolvable.Camping and vagrancy laws exist.They wont spend the money to jail them,which also sobers them up.They need tocreate jobs by doing studies and counts.If they solved problems alot of people would be out of work,but would THEY become homeless?Of course not,unless they began to drink and do drugs of course.
With so many experts on homelessness, it’s weird we still have the problem. 🤷♂️
Nope. The problem is that people making min wage think they deserve a 2-bedroom apartment! People used to get a roommate, but now everyone is entitled to their own space, and more than they need. But, that is not the main issue with homelessness, though that is what they want you to think. The main issue with homelessness is the druggies and mentally ill that litter our streets. Ship them all off to a compound and viola! The issue is solved and everyone is happier.
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