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Chapter 6: Housing and Shelter HOUSING/TRANSITIONAL HOUSING/SHELTER Introduction The need for and supply of affordable shelter and housing are not fixed. They are constantly evolving, impacted by changes in the economy, in income support programs, and in the social fabric. This section outlines current needs and resources, but we need to constantly monitor and ensure that our priorities and actions reflect these changes. For most people, housing is typically the largest single expense in the household budget. Federal, state, and local housing programs frequently require that low-income households should pay no more than 30 percent of their gross income toward housing costs. Often, poor households in unsubsidized units spend 50 to 75 percent of their incomes on housing alone -- a crisis situation for these households where the dire choice is between paying for shelter, paying the heating bill, or buying food and medicines for the family. An intimate relationship therefore exists between incomes and housing in the lives of poor people in Alameda County and elsewhere. The higher housing costs rise, or the more income supports and job opportunities for poor people are cut, the less disposable income poor households have for other life purposes, including education, food, health care, and retirement savings. Low-income, working families may be one pink slip away from being able to keep their current housing situation. If they lose their housing, they may lose their social networks through relocation, face strained relations due to doubling up or the psychological problems that all too often result from the mental stress of unemployment and homelessness. Even when housing is available and a household can afford the rent payment, there are barriers which make it difficult for the household to obtain and maintain the housing. The move-in costs of first and last month's rent and security deposit are a formidable barrier to poor households that have difficulty making ends meet each month. Once in housing, any crisis, such as job loss, health emergency, or alcohol or drug relapse, can cause the household to begin the spiral back into homelessness. The county housing system faces a crossroads. The perceived and documented need for expanding the supply of affordable housing throughout Alameda County has never been greater. Yet the passage of federal welfare reform, calling for dramatic and far-reaching funding reductions in income support programs for poor people, people with physical and mental disabilities, and immigrants threatens to unleash a tidal wave of newly impoverished households that could overwhelm the Continuum of Care system just as preparation of comprehensive improvements to the system is undertaken. As noted in the Income and Employment section of this plan, creating the jobs to replace this lost income will be difficult at best in today's economy. Alameda County-Wide Homeless Continuum of Care Plan: April 1997 75