Monthly rental housing prices have skyrocketed 27 percent in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties over the past five years, while wages have increased only 8 percent, according to a new report on the local housing crisis.
“This leaves our county with one of the highest levels of rent burden in the state, with 55 percent of renters paying over 30 percent of income in housing costs,” said Abraham Melendrez, a policy advocate for Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy.
On Tuesday, CAUSE released a report titled “Housing Crisis 805,” noting that renters make up a large percentage of the population — 51 percent in Santa Maria and 60 percent in Santa Barbara.
The report included solutions to ease the crisis, such as “low-hanging fruit” or those deemed easier to pass, including a mandatory lease law or rental mediation program, both in place in Santa Barbara.
Also suggested were the “golden triangle” of tenant protections — rent stabilization, proactive inspections and eviction protections.
“To address the root cause of the problem, we need to build more affordable housing,” Melendrez said. “There are ways to encourage affordable housing without direct cost to the city, such as inclusionary housing ordinances and streamlining permitting for affordable housing projects.”
The report included results of a survey of nearly 600 renters in both counties, data from assorted organizations, and recommendations for lawmakers to help alleviate the crisis.
“Our goal was to paint a picture of the housing crisis in the region, and specifically how it’s impacting renters who often lack visibility and representation in our communities,” Melendrez said.
The high housing burden heavily affects minority populations and other disadvantaged communities, he said.
“Because of the loss of federal and state support for affordable housing, we have a historic shortage of affordable housing right when we need it the most,” he said.
The county has built about 40 percent of the projected needed housing overall. Only 12 percent has been aimed at very low income residents, he added.
This shortage has led to sacrifices, such as cutbacks in food and health care or sharing residences.
Twelve percent of those surveyed in the two counties reported living in a rental unit with seven or more people, according to the report.
And some 75 percent of those who answered the survey experienced health or safety risks such as pest infestation, mold or leaks.
“Many tenants don’t speak up about these issues because of an imbalance of power with their landlord,” Melendrez said.
Santa Maria families must spend more than one-third of their income on housing, making it challenging to get ahead, Santa Maria Councilwoman Gloria Soto said. She added that the affordable housing supply must be increased.
“We must be proactive in solving this housing problem by putting in place policies that protect renters who make up nearly 50 percent of households in Santa Maria, as well as protecting renters from unfair evictions, extreme rent increases and health and safety risks,” Soto said.
Peoples’ Self-Help Housing, which builds and manages residential projects on the Central Coast, deals with the crisis regularly, according to Rick Gulino, director of resident services and neighborhood development.
“We need to see action. We need housing,” he said.
The organization has 12 projects in the works, but at least half have stalled due to funding shortages.
“We could build hundreds and hundreds more units if we just had the funding,” he said.
The need is great, he added. A nearby senior citizen housing project under construction in Santa Maria will add 40 units to the inventory, but Gulino expects to receive hundreds of applications.
“We see it first-hand. We have over 7,000 people on our waiting list right now waiting for housing, and some of our wait lists can be as long as five years,” Gulino said. “People cannot wait that long for affordable housing, so we would just like to see action.”
The report also cautioned against the trickle-down approach of encouraging private, market-rate housing.
“In particular, encouraging new development in lower income neighborhoods can raise nearby land values and fuel gentrification,” Melendrez said, “However, we provide recommendations on how cities can meet their goals in producing affordable housing by minimizing displacement.”
Pressures of gentrification have been felt on the Eastside and Westside of Santa Barbara and in Old Town Goleta.
To minimize displacement, the report suggested increasing housing density in historically exclusionary neighborhoods or those that allow large single-family homes, and tweaking single-family zoning to allow medium-density housing such as granny flats, duplexes and triplexes.
Communities also could rezone underutilized commercial and industrial areas so residents would not be displaced, the report said.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.