SACRAMENTO >> One of California's most robust challenges in recent years has been the escalating homeless population according to government data.
California's homeless population expanded to more than 6%, or 181,000, the largest recorded of any state, according to federal data. More than half of all homeless people in the country live in four states: Washington, 4%, 28,036, Florida, 5%, 30,756, New York, 16%, 103,200, California, 28%, 181.399, according to the U. S Department of Housing and Urban Development. Substance abuse and mental health decline has played a significant part. The National Alliance to End Homelessness, a nonprofit, pointed out U.S. homelessness rose by 12 % between 2022 and 2023, more than 650,000 people.
Meanwhile, in Lake County where the Lake County Continuum of Care is lead agency and is a service provider to many persons in the grip of homelessness, the Behavioral Health Services' leadership and staff are eager to ameliorate the many pronged aspects of the homelessness situation, explained Matthew Rothstein chief deputy assistant administrator of Lake County. The CoC is coordinating resources and programs to expedite multiple means to curtail homelessness in Lake County, Rothstein and assistant administrative staffers maintained.
The COC management also reminds residents that Redwood Community Services has been now operating a 24/7 Emergency Shelter, also known as Xamatin Haven, 1111 Whalen Way, Lakeport since Dec. 1 2023. An additional reminder, the County Board of Supervisors included on its January 9, 2024 agenda, to consider a report from the County Administrative Office, regarding a County Housing Action Plan. A six month process to coordinate a plan is anticipated to include community engagement, analysis of countywide needs as well it will tasking the office with identifying prospective sites for housing development. Staff will seek Board approval.
"Increasing housing supply in Lake County is a matter of great urgency," said Rothstein. "Members of the public will be aware, the Lake County Department of Social Services (DSS) administers the Section 8 program. Due, in part, to the loss of 5.5% of our housing supply to wildfire since 2015, it has become increasingly difficult for DSS staff to find placements for those eligible for Section 8 housing vouchers within allowable HUD-established payment standards for our area."
In addition, the county's Community Development Department is designing a program, in compliance with Assembly Bill 1332, that went into effect in Jan. 1, 2024 to foster development of accessory dwelling units with the intent of adding housing stock and reducing overcrowding. Leaders of the CDD are expected to execute this program by the third quarter of 2024. "We like to thank the many who are working with great energy, insight and compassion to provide the best possible services to people struggling with homelessness, mental and behavioral health challenges in Lake County," Rothstein said.
And from California's Housing and Community Development, public information was disbursed from the office of Alicia Murillo, communications specialist. In a document titled, "A Home for Every Californian" what is known about the state's housing crisis: it has a record of growing progressively worse over the prior 50 years. As a result, millions of Californians, who are disproportionately lower income and people of color, often make hard decisions about paying for housing at the expense of food, health care, childcare, and transportation—one in three households in the state doesn't earn enough money to meet their basic needs.
Furthermore, "A home for every Californian" identified millions of Californians, who are disproportionately lower income and people of color, who must make difficult choices about paying for housing at the expense of food, health care, childcare, and transportation - one in three households in the state doesn't earn enough money to meet their basic needs.
So why is there not enough housing? It's partly a legacy of housing discrimination, housing segregation, exclusion, opposition allowing change from the former, opaque regulatory hurdles, insufficient land zones available for housing.
In order to decide what is the housing need in California, every eight years, the state sets a goal for the number of homes needed for each income level to meet the housing needs of all Californians. Local governments must plan for enough housing to meet the housing need in their own community. It is called the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA).
California needs to plan for more than 2.5 million homes over the next eight-year cycle, and no less than one million of those homes needs to be lower-income households. This represents more than double the housing planned for in the last eight-year cycle. By passing accountability reforms in recent years, the state is ensuring that housing is not only planned, but certainly gets built. Of those needed, there is 643,352 very low income, 384,910 low income, 420,814 moderate and
1,051,177 above moderate.
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