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| Blake Braafladt talking with two people living under an abandoned overpass |
It’s been observed that California’s high housing costs are causing homelessness in unexpected places: rural areas. Throughout California, the homelessness rose by 15 percent in the past 2 years. Places being affected include northern Sacramento Valley, El Dorado and Butte County, just to name a few. In many’s eyes, this is shocking because these areas have never really had considerable homelessness. Since the areas don’t have many shelters, people simply have to spend their nights and do other activities outside. The total California homeless population is 135139, which is the highest of any state, and analysts predict that this number is going to keep rising. One of the biggest factors that is causing this increase in these rural areas is that there are few jobs in those areas, but rents and house prices continue to rise. Rene Evans, the director of a group helping the homeless in El Dorado, described the situation: “We have no year-round emergency shelter. There aren’t enough jobs up here in the mountains. That, and rents that are always getting higher, keep people circling down the drain so they can never get back up again.”
Just to present some numbers to prove the issue in rural areas, median housing prices have gone up 37 percent in the El Dorado County and 55 percent in Butte County along with an 88 percent increase in median rent in El Dorado and one of 53 percent in Butte County. To give an example, Marci Butler from El Dorado used to pay around half a $600 rent, but now she finds her rent moving closer to $1000. Right now, to help the homeless San Francisco spends around $305 million annually and many are unsure of the prices in the rural areas because this is so new to everyone.
El Dorado has taken action to create a Coordinated Entry System that will help guide homeless people. They have also garnered $500,000 from California to create supportive housing units. Although the lack of homes is a priority, it’s not the only thing to focus on. With substance abuse and mental illness rising in these areas too, efforts are being taken to tackle that problem.
Furthermore, Chico, in Butte County, has been having an outreach group of the Police Department look for and offer shelter to people sleeping in the woods. The shelters in Chico and Oroville have 200 beds and are always full. It has been said that Chico attracts many homeless people from other small counties, especially when the winter sets in.
Although these efforts are being taken, there is a lot of uncertainty in how to solve this problem and the counties often understate the problem.
Personal Opinion: I believe this relates a lot to Frank’s article and how the cost of living has gotten too high. It is really disappointing that even rural areas, where most people didn’t expect, have been experiencing similar price increases. Again, like most I am unsure of what would be the best way to proceed as there is no historical record of how this problem has been dealt with in the past. My main suggestion is not only to create more affordable housing areas, but also to find a way to expand the job opportunities in these rural areas so the people can also make money to pay for the housing if they ever have an opportunity in the future. Also, considering the drug and mental illness problems in the areas, creating jobs may be able to improve those issues.
Discussion Q’s:
- What is your reaction to the problem here? Are you guys in any way surprised that California has such a high homeless rate?
- What do you guys think is the best approach to make sure that the homeless have better living conditions?
- It’s clear that the state and local governments have been getting involved in this problem, but do you guys think that the national government should pay attention to this too?
3 comments:
Just like Kamal said in his post, I am surprised at the extent of homelessness in the rural areas of California although I was aware of the homelessness problem in San Francisco and the Bay Area. I think that legislation on a national level could definitely help solve this problem. Homelessness is a problem in many different states and has been a problem throughout U.S. history. National legislation could help in aiding people who are homeless and preventing people from becoming homeless. Many of the solutions at the local and state level are short-term (for example shelters), and long-term solutions are definitely necessary.
It’s no surprise to me that California has such a high homeless rate. It is a very expensive area to live in and not everyone can afford the high prices of living. In your image, it’s reassuring to see some homeless populations decreasing but its startling to see most are increasing at such high rates. I think the best approach is to continue adding homeless shelters all over California that are open for all individuals. Based on what I’ve witnessed from helping out at shelters, those who are there are very appreciative for a place to stay and are willing to begin supporting themselves with a little help. This is a costly approach but I think it might be the most beneficial. From there, the homeless can find work and possibly move out. As of now I don’t think the national government needs to get involved. The state government need to prioritize this growing issue over the population size of the homeless before the national government takes action.
This is easier said than done, but if more jobs could be created (maybe by the state government), than the homeless could start supporting themselves. But with the rising housing prices, I'm not sure if they would be able to afford housing even with jobs. Like Meiling, I was aware of homelessness around the Bay Area but not in rural areas. I can see why job opportunities would be more limited than in the bigger cities, but maybe jobs could be created if more support/homeless centers are created. Then the homeless centers could employ people as well as help them. While the state governments should be able to create these centers on their own, this situation might push the national government to make better policies for all states.
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