New numbers show California's affordability crisis is getting worse
SACRAMENTO — New figures released by the California Department of Housing and Community Development show that low-income eligibility for affordability housing is surging.
In some California counties, even a six-figure salary qualifies for low-income housing programs.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Clara County's low-income eligibility level for individuals jumped 8.8% from last year to $111,700, while San Francisco's and San Mateo's remained at $109,700.
A $72,050 salary now qualifies as low income in one-person households in Sacramento, Placer, and El Dorado counties. That's an 8.7% increase from one year ago.
For Los Angeles County, the low-income level jumped to $84,850, while further south in San Diego County, it's set at $92,700, both 8.8% increases.
In San Joaquin County, the new low-income level is listed at $58,600, and in Stanislaus, it's $55,200.
Cam Villa is a Sacramento home loan broker. He said he uses the annual report to help his clients "so it sets the rules on who can apply for some income-based loan programs."
"It seems like a great living or you would be able to make that as a successful living, but when you talk about rents, grocery prices, I see a lot of credit reports with car payments above $1,000 a month," Villa said. "There are a lot of factors that weigh into this."
It's been a curveball for Chelsea Carmack, who was recently hired at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. She moved here from St. Louis to find the shocking price changes.
Finding an affordable place to live was hard.
"I love the weather," Carmack said. "As far as finding housing, it's been very challenging to adapt to the higher cost of living."
For Carmack, it's making for a different kind of California Dream.
"To survive," she said.
