High price of housing having ripple effect even on employed

June 02, 2004
Santa Paula News

The real estate market may be booming but the high price for rental property is having a ripple effect and causing more homelessness even for those who are employed, according to a recent Ventura County survey.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesThe real estate market may be booming but the high price for rental property is having a ripple effect and causing more homelessness even for those who are employed, according to a recent Ventura County survey.The Ventura County Homeless & Housing Coalition surveyed 525 homeless people in late February. Those surveyed were in residential recovery programs, emergency shelters and transitional housing facilities.Although the survey showed that 50 percent of the respondents said they were homeless for the first time – down 14 percent from last year – the situation is expected to worsen as rents reach record highs.The annual survey noted that 64 percent of the homeless had lived in Ventura County for 10 or more years and that 52 percent were women with children.Surprisingly, 32 percent of those homeless surveyed are employed; 31 percent had no income and others received aid such as food stamps, Social Security of disability checks.
A majority of the respondents, 54 percent, said they sleep outside when shelters are closed, finding bushes or on the streets. The number of homeless saying they sleep outside increased by 6 percent from last year.More than a third of those surveyed, 36 percent, had been homeless for two or more years.Many of the homeless who responded to survey questions were found to have disabilities or other health issues; 33 percent were mentally disabled, 25 percent were physically disabled and 45 percent had been hospitalized the previous year.Most studies show that 30 percent of a person’s income can affordably be spent on housing needs, but recent statistics show that many are now spending up to 60 percent just on rent or mortgage payments.In Santa Paula, more and more residents are reporting seeing people that are obviously homeless although many without a place a live are hard to spot and try their best not to appear homeless.



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