Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc.

“Housing” is the title of the 7th program in a series of programs on Community Television of Santa Cruz County called “The War On Poverty in the 21st Century”. Produced by Community Television and the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc.

·               Produced: Monday, August 26th, 2002

·               On Air October 3rd through October 31st, 2002

·               Mondays and Thursdays at 6:30 pm and Fridays at 3:

·               Channel: 25 on AT&T Cable

·               Title: “Housing” Order this video from Community Television of Santa Cruz County. Call 831-425-8848.

·               An article on this series was featured in The Good Times on May 23rd. You can view this article at:  http://www.cabinc.org/War_Goodtimes_poverty_tv.htm

The high cost of housing has become a primary driving force of poverty in the United States and particularly in and around San Francisco.  Seven Bay metro areas continually vie for the ignoble title of “Least Affordable Metro Housing Market” of the 191 metro areas in the country.  Only an average of 8.3% of median income households that live between Salinas and San Francisco can purchase an affordable home.   The San Francisco metro area has historically held the title of least affordable more often than any other metro area in the country, and the Santa Cruz/Watsonville area has come in 2nd on a regular basis.  In the first quarter of 2002, the most recent data available, Salinas was the least affordable metro area in the country and Santa Cruz/Watsonville was 2nd.  This means that fewer than 8 percent of homes sold in Salinas during the first quarter were affordable to families earning the area’s median income of $53,800.

Routinely Firefighters, Law-enforcement Officers, Teachers, Nurses and other skilled and necessary workers find that they cannot buy a home and choose to move to areas where they do qualify for loans, leaving behind Cities and Counties that have an increasingly difficult time in filling essential emergency services positions.   Perhaps the greatest difficulty, according to Steve Belcher, Santa Cruz City Chief of Police, is what he calls “the Brain Drain”.  The constant loss of skilled, experienced, officers who know the area and are replaced with new and less experienced officers right out of the academy.

It’s the same at Fire Departments, Schools, and Hospitals.

People living on fixed incomes or lower wages are not only priced out of home ownership, but also are finding it impossible to rent within the inflated Central Coast housing market.  The schools are reporting lower class attendance because families are moving to areas they can better afford.   Over 40% of households in Santa Cruz County pay half of their income for housing, and for households earning less than $35,000 60% pay half of their income or more for housing and over 30% of those households pay more than three quarters of their income for housing.  It’s no wonder that they are leaving.

It is difficult to conclude anything other than that the Housing Market has broken on the Central Coast.

The 7th episode the series called “Housing” will discuss history of housing affordability and poverty, the current housing crisis and possible 21st Century solutions: 

Guests:

Mike Rawson is with the California Affordable Housing Law Project, a nonprofit state support center for local legal services programs like California Rural Legal Assistance.   The Project trains local attorneys and helps them advocate to enforce state and federal housing discrimination laws and the laws that require all communities to plan for affordable housing

Ilene Jacobs is the Director of Litigation, Advocacy & Training for California Rural Legal Assistance.  Since 1965, CRLA has been a powerful voice in the courtrooms, in the classrooms, in the fields, and in the legislative halls of California. The impact of CRLA's litigation has touched the lives of literally millions of poor individuals, improving conditions for farmworkers, new immigrants, welfare mothers, school children, the elderly, the physically challenged, and entire communities. 

And Gretchen Regenhardt, a Staff Attorney for the Santa Cruz/Watsonville office of California Rural Legal Assistance. Gretchen has been a front line attorney for Legal Aid and CRLA representing people in Santa Cruz County living in or near poverty for two decades. 

The host of the series, Paul Rachuy Brindel, 

 

·               Executive Producer of the series is Geoffrey Dunn, Executive Director of Community Television of Santa Cruz County.

·               Kathy D’Angelo produces the series for Community Television.

·               Paul Brindel produces the series for the Community Action Board

·               Christine Johnson-Lyons is the Associate Producer for the Community Action Board

·               Craig Jutson directs the program series.

·               Contact:  For Community Television, Kathy D'Angelo– 425-8848

·               For Community Action Board, Paul Rachuy Brindel – 457-1741 ext 160

·               For more on the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc go to: www.cabinc.org

    

·               Go To The War On Poverty Index of Programs and Resources  at: WaronPoverty.htm

·               For more on Community Television of Santa Cruz County go to: http://communitytv.org/index.html

·               Friday, September 27, 2002

The host and CAB Inc. producer of the series, Paul Rachuy Brindel, 

 

More "Housing"  Links of Interest:

 

The California Housing Law Project is an advocacy organization that lobbies in the California State Legislature for affordable housing and tenants rights for low income people, the disabled, elderly, homeless and http://www.housingadvocates.org/default.asp?ID=9

 

Established in 1974, the National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to ending America’s affordable housing crisis.  NLIHC educates, organizes and advocates to ensure decent, affordable housing within healthy neighborhoods for everyone.  NLIHC provides up-to-date information, formulates policy, and educates the public on housing needs and the strategies for solutions. http://www.nlihc.org/index.htm

Housing California is a statewide coalition of over 1,000 affordable housing and homeless organizations.  In the face of organized opposition, Housing California is focused to build support for policies and funding that create and preserve affordable housing for very low income and homeless people. http://www.housingca.org/

The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty was established in June 1989. It is governed by a nine-member board of directors that includes lawyers, activists, researchers, and homeless and formerly homeless people. Based in Washington, D.C., the Law Center works with a wide variety of groups around the country. http://www.nlchp.org/

  • Executive Producer of the series is Geoffrey Dunn, Executive Director of Community Television of Santa Cruz County.

  • Kathy D’Angelo produces the series for Community Television.

  • Craig Jutson directs the program series.

  • Contact:  For Community Television, Kathy D'Angelo– 425-8848

  •  For Community Action Board, Paul Rachuy Brindel – 457-1741 ext 160

  • For more on the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc go to: www.cabinc.org

  • Go To "The War On Poverty" Index of Programs and Resources

  • For more on Community Television of Santa Cruz County go to: http://communitytv.org/index.html

  • 10/08/06
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