By Jacqueline Sumano and Jared Garcia
Life in the Bay Area is never easy. Eduardo Sagastume, a teenager from San Jose, knows this especially well. The instability of the Bay Area’s prices have caused him to lose the comfort of home, friends and family. He isn’t the only one.
The Mercury News found a study commissioned by the San Francisco public policy group Next 10 which found that “between 2006 and 2016, more than 1 million more people left California for other states than moved in from the rest of the U.S.”
Society has always struggled with homelessness and affordable housing; that is not new. However, it is alarming how this crisis has overwhelmed California. There’s no definite time frame but many consider this problem to grow exponentially between the years of 2000 and 2015.
The Mercury News also states, “In the nine-county Bay Area, census tracts where rents rose by 30 percent between 2000 and 2015 saw a mass exodus of low-income families of color as just over 1 in 5 left…” This is no longer a mere political debate topic, it is now affecting millions of Californians.
The rent keeps increasing and increasing and many cannot keep up. Based on RentCafé, a one bedroom apartment in San Jose is approximately $2,364. Many Californians simply do not have the income needed to sustain an apartment, let alone a home, in the state.
According to www.inc.com it is stated that the median salary in San Jose is $90,303, that is shared with the income spent on rent making it 35.60%. Compared to the historic share of income spent on rent (1985-2000) 26.10%, which means Californians now resort more money to rent. With such a rapid increase, it is a struggle trying to catch up and continue with the daily struggles of life. It is an issue that affects every aspect of life.
Not only is it a burden financially, it affects mental and emotional health as well. Eduardo gives insight on his own life, “I just had to leave everything behind, all the people I met and you know, me behind. I had to leave myself like all my sports, all the people that I met, like behind, like they were gone.”
In most media, homelessness is often tied with negative connotations and that immensely affects the chances of establishing a stable home.
Media often misconstrues fear for laziness. Fear is one of the biggest obstacles when asking for help. It is not easy for many families to ask or seek for help. In addition, the lasting effects of such stressful situations can also harm emotions and relationships with others.
“She’s scared,” Eduardo states on the mental health of his mother, “she’s scared of everyone, she’s scared of men, so it’s like she’s scared of guys and stuff and like I’m her son, I don’t want her to be scared of me.” This crisis touches everyone.
According to Nur Kausar, Communications Manager from the Housing California Organization, “The people who experience homelessness vary—children, families, seniors, veterans, single adults, and of all races. Many of them do not struggle with an addiction or a mental health issue, but that tends to be the stereotype portrayed in the media. And if the media offers a temporary shelter as a solution, that is incorrect, because a person in a shelter is still counted as homeless.”
Life in the Bay Area is never easy. Eduardo Sagastume, a teenager from San Jose, knows this especially well. The instability of the Bay Area’s prices have caused him to lose the comfort of home, friends and family. He isn’t the only one.
The Mercury News found a study commissioned by the San Francisco public policy group Next 10 which found that “between 2006 and 2016, more than 1 million more people left California for other states than moved in from the rest of the U.S.”
Society has always struggled with homelessness and affordable housing; that is not new. However, it is alarming how this crisis has overwhelmed California. There’s no definite time frame but many consider this problem to grow exponentially between the years of 2000 and 2015.
The Mercury News also states, “In the nine-county Bay Area, census tracts where rents rose by 30 percent between 2000 and 2015 saw a mass exodus of low-income families of color as just over 1 in 5 left…” This is no longer a mere political debate topic, it is now affecting millions of Californians.
The rent keeps increasing and increasing and many cannot keep up. Based on RentCafé, a one bedroom apartment in San Jose is approximately $2,364. Many Californians simply do not have the income needed to sustain an apartment, let alone a home, in the state.
According to www.inc.com it is stated that the median salary in San Jose is $90,303, that is shared with the income spent on rent making it 35.60%. Compared to the historic share of income spent on rent (1985-2000) 26.10%, which means Californians now resort more money to rent. With such a rapid increase, it is a struggle trying to catch up and continue with the daily struggles of life. It is an issue that affects every aspect of life.
Not only is it a burden financially, it affects mental and emotional health as well. Eduardo gives insight on his own life, “I just had to leave everything behind, all the people I met and you know, me behind. I had to leave myself like all my sports, all the people that I met, like behind, like they were gone.”
In most media, homelessness is often tied with negative connotations and that immensely affects the chances of establishing a stable home.
Media often misconstrues fear for laziness. Fear is one of the biggest obstacles when asking for help. It is not easy for many families to ask or seek for help. In addition, the lasting effects of such stressful situations can also harm emotions and relationships with others.
“She’s scared,” Eduardo states on the mental health of his mother, “she’s scared of everyone, she’s scared of men, so it’s like she’s scared of guys and stuff and like I’m her son, I don’t want her to be scared of me.” This crisis touches everyone.
According to Nur Kausar, Communications Manager from the Housing California Organization, “The people who experience homelessness vary—children, families, seniors, veterans, single adults, and of all races. Many of them do not struggle with an addiction or a mental health issue, but that tends to be the stereotype portrayed in the media. And if the media offers a temporary shelter as a solution, that is incorrect, because a person in a shelter is still counted as homeless.”
A shelter may be a relief but it is a relief that does not last long. Housing needs to be a reliable structure. There is no future without a place one can call home. It may be hard but there are ways to achieve this.
A crisis like this needs to be visible. So far, things are looking up in our community. According to ABC 7 News, San Jose found $100 million to kick-start 11 new affordable housing projects. Although that shows a glimmer of hope, this crisis is still affecting our present and will continue to affect our future. The demand for help may start gradually but we must first build solidarity.
Kausar advises, “Start in your community. If your city council or other elected officials are considering putting new affordable housing in your neighborhood or town, go and support it. If they are not considering it, attend a council meeting and make a public comment requesting it.”
Gathering awareness may be a long and tedious journey but the product will allow our community to prosper. It starts with you, persevere and persist.
A crisis like this needs to be visible. So far, things are looking up in our community. According to ABC 7 News, San Jose found $100 million to kick-start 11 new affordable housing projects. Although that shows a glimmer of hope, this crisis is still affecting our present and will continue to affect our future. The demand for help may start gradually but we must first build solidarity.
Kausar advises, “Start in your community. If your city council or other elected officials are considering putting new affordable housing in your neighborhood or town, go and support it. If they are not considering it, attend a council meeting and make a public comment requesting it.”
Gathering awareness may be a long and tedious journey but the product will allow our community to prosper. It starts with you, persevere and persist.