Whether you’re looking to buy or rent you know the prices in San Diego aren’t what anyone would consider affordable. And a new study shows all but the highest income earning San Diegans are struggling right now.
It seems like every few weeks, NBC 7 is covering the groundbreaking of an affordable housing complex like The Cuatro in City Heights or a complex already open like ShoreLINE in Grantville.
However, according to a new report by The California Housing Partnership, San Diego County is roughly 135,000 affordable units short, and we aren’t even close to getting caught up.
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“The metaphor we often use is filling a bathtub. Right now, we’re bailing out a bathtub with a spoon, but while the spigot is still on,” said Stephen Russell, San Diego Housing Federation President & CEO.
Russell says there is land available, but the challenge is the funding because subsidies are needed to compensate for the high cost of living.
The study shows on average a single person needs to make $47.67 an hour or $8,263 a month to afford the average monthly rent in San Diego. That’s nearly 3-times the minimum wage.
Russell joined local leaders and community organizations on Thursday, to call on the city, county and state to invest in affordable housing.
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“To make sure that we can continue to have young teachers affording to live here, young policemen who are just starting out on their first jobs. The folks working at our nail salons and our clinics, our phlebotomists – there’s a host of jobs that don’t begin to pay the wages that are necessary to live here,” Russell said.
And, he says, keeping them here is critical, to keep San Diego moving.
The group is also asking the city to roll back the proposed budget cuts to the housing commission, including rental assistance for seniors.
To read the full report, click here.
