Census could help alleviate San Joaquin County’s affordable-housing crisis

By Allen Pierleoni

Why is it essential that every one of the 330 million-plus people living in the United States steps up and be counted in the 2020 Census? Because the results will determine the allocation of billions of dollars in federal aid to states and their communities. “Under-counts” can mean drastric losses of revenue.

Federal funding based on Census data nourishes a broad spectrum of programs, including support for affordable housing largely sponsored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The federal government defines “affordable housing” as housing that costs 30 percent or less than household income. If a family pays more, it is classified as “cost-burdened,” leading to the possibility of that family having to forego other necessities (medical care, food, clothing) in order to pay the rent or mortgage. HUD estimates that more than 12 million households spend more than half their annual incomes on housing.

Affordable housing in California, with nearly 40 million citizens, continues to be a front-and-center issue as the gap between housing supply and housing demand widens.

That gap can push people into homelessness. The 2019 Point-in-Time Homeless Count documented 1,558 people living on the streets in San Joaquin County, nearly triple the number counted in 2017. In 2019, there were also 1,061 homeless living in emergency shelters.

“(Affordable housing) is one of the most pressing issues in the Central Valley,” says Janine Nkosi, a sociology professor at Fresno State and regional advisor to Faith in the Valley.

Faith in the Valley is a grass-roots organization that focuses on social concerns in Fresno, Kern, Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. Its membership includes 120 congregations representing 100,000 people.

“We don’t have enough affordable-housing units to supply all the people who need them,” Nkosi says. “The Census (findings) are going to create a real opportunity for us to have an impact on the crisis, whether it be through new development or preserving some of the current affordable-housing stock.”

Part of Faith in the Valley’s organizing work involves door-to-door canvassing “to ensure that every single person in the Central Valley is counted, because there is so much at stake,” she says.

To that end, Faith in the Valley has partnered with Communities for a New California in CNC’s “Cuenta Conmigo” (“Count On Me”) program, to help disenfranchised residents with the Census process.

“It’s vital that everybody be counted,” Nkosi emphasizes. “As rents rise and wages aren’t keeping pace, affordable housing becomes more out of reach. For the cost-burdened, one unexpected event can push them into eviction, which leads to homelessness. We need a stopgap to keep folks from getting there in the first place.”

Get counted! Complete the Census at www.my2020census.gov.

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EARNING THE VOTE OF LATINA WOMEN Anyone who wants to lead in California must do so with the support of Latina voters. California’s independent redistricting commission adopted final congressional and legislative districts for the next decade, starting with the 2022 mid-term elections. When you read about a Latino-majority district in California—think Latina power. Latina voters consistently outperform their Latino male counterparts in voting: 22 of the 80 new state Assembly districts are Latino-majority with Latina power voting blocs; 10 of the 40 state Senate districts are Latino-majority with Latina power voting blocs; 16 of 52 total congressional districts in California are Latino-majority with Latina power voting blocs. The articles below highlight the ever-growing Latina base of voters who are personally experiencing a housing crisis that is pushing their families out of their homes, and the climate change crisis in the form of toxic drinking water and pervasive health issues resulting from wildfires, drought and pesticide use near our homes. It is time to invest in the Central Valley and in the Coachella Valley beyond the usual election cycle or tit-for-tat politics. It is beyond time that the pathway towards California’s future centers on the priorities of Latina women and women as a whole because we are the spark leading the ways towards a better future—LÚCETE! Click on the icon here to learn more about CNC Education Fund: