AGENDA PACKET - Laserfiche WebLink

PAGE 51 For those with disabilities or receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance Program (SSDI), finding affordable housing is near-impossible. One interviewee said: “I don’t think we have enough funds to get folks housed. It’s been crazy, The Tri-Valley is a really expensive area. Some of the minimum housing income requirements are not accessible to patients who are receiving SSI or SSDI. These folks are receiving about $1,300 a month. And the minimum income requirement and these housing applications, they go from like 20/30k to 60k a year. And these patients are only making $11,000– $12,000 because of SSI. And that’s not enough, you know? Unfortunately, affordable housing… I know we try our best, but it’s insufficient.” Community members cited concerns about the long waitlists for affordable housing and the increasing need for housing stock. With the growing population of older adults in the Tri-Valley, the need for housing was particularly pressing. Nonprofits indicated that they are encountering a rising number of seniors who are unstably housed. Older adults are particularly precarious because they are likely to have higher medical bills, and housing instability likely exacerbates health conditions. One person described the cycle that many older adults experience: “I’m seeing more low-income seniors than I have seen in the past. We have an office that serves seniors specifically, and I’m just seeing more low- CENSUS POPULATION: TREND 21 243 18 8 264 70 7229242 PleasantonLivermoreDublin 2017 2019 2022 Figure 41. Number of Individuals Who Are Unhoused by City income seniors and more seniors who have rented somewhere for 15 years. Now that landlord is moving and they’re selling their house, and now they have to find affordable rent, and they’re not on a list, they’re not…you know, they don’t have access to that, because they haven’t needed it. We’ve seen more seniors become homeless with not being able to find somewhere affordable in time. And that’s for those vulnerable seniors that already have health issues and then to have to live in a car or on the street, that’s just going to make their health decline more.” Others noted that high housing costs and housing precarity does not just effect those who are low- income; it is beginning to have a ripple effect across the region: “I think that in order to stop the increase of homelessness, and it’s not just for people who are low-income or [have] mental health issues…you are now seeing middle class, even upper-middle class (if there is even an upper-middle class) on the verge of losing their housing, because of jobs that do not pay enough to continue to stay housed with the high rent.” Some cited this as a result of the tech industry. They noted that at one time the region was positioned to be a contender for Silicon Valley, which increased housing prices. However, more recently, nonprofits indicated that they are seeing increasing housing instability among those who have historically been Source: Tri-Valley 2022 Homeless PIT Count Report EASTERN ALAMEDA COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES NEEDS ASSESSMENTSS Page 109 of 554