A Wake-Up Call on Affordable Housing : New Study Reaffirms That Shelter in O.C. Is Beyond the Means of Many Residents

During the holiday season, when the thoughts of many turn to the needy, Orange County received just what it did not need--more discouraging news from the housing front. In November, a study by the Nonprofit Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found Orange County with the worst record among 44 metropolitan areas for providing affordable housing. Now a study released just before Christmas by the Orange County Homeless Issues Task Force provided fresh local supporting evidence for a county beyond the means of many who want to live and work here.

The newest local study, already being justly hailed as a “wake-up call” for developers, politicians and other county residents, found that the county lacks affordable housing for a broad segment of its population, not just the poor. The report stated bluntly, “In community after community in Orange County, people are being priced out of buying or renting the kind of housing they could afford. The land of opportunity has become the land of a frustrating and often unrewarded search for an affordable home.”

The study looked at 1990 census figures and told a story through numbers. One of every five households earns less than $22,961. But in Orange County, a person earning $23,000, who could expect to afford to spend up to $575 each month for housing, would have found in 1991 that the average monthly rents of $670 for a one-bedroom apartment and $980 for a three-bedroom were family budget breakers. Among those affected were more than 23,000 children under 5 who were living in poverty, and many families found themselves doubling up to get by.

Nor was the prognosis encouraging. According to the findings, the outlook was not good unless there were increased local levels of public and private funding for affordable housing. Lee Podolak, chairwoman of the Homeless Issues Task Force, argues for a greater commitment to building or rehabilitating affordable housing closer to jobs.

She’s right. Orange County has a long way to go on the affordable housing front.