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Institute , Henry said , average family wealth by race and ethnicity showed that in 1983 , white families held five times more wealth than Black families and , in 2016 , seven times more . Also , in 2016 , white families held five times more wealth than Hispanic families . A study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research showed that the minimum wage would currently be $ 21.50 per hour had it kept pace with productivity , but nationally , it lingers around $ 7.25 . In California , it is $ 15 – still far from enough to afford the average asking rent in Orange County of $ 2,596 per month . Alarmingly , renters need to earn 3.3 times the minimum wage , or $ 49.92 per hour , to afford this average , according to the California Housing Partnership Orange County ’ s 2022 Affordable Housing Need Report . To add to the gloom , Henry noted , the same report showed that rent in Orange County increased by 16.7 % between December 2020 and December 2021 .
The way out is to build more housing , especially affordable homes for households earning less than $ 100,000 per year , to make up for the shortfall in affordable home production that has been going on for years .
“ Talk about a missed opportunity ,” she said . “ During the 2014 to 2021 fifth State Regional Housing Needs Allocation planning cycle , Orange County met only 40 % of its lower-income housing goals while overproducing by more than double housing for moderate and above-moderate income households .”
In Laguna Beach , that housing production cycle was dismal : a seemingly easy goal of one very low and one low-income housing unit required by the state resulted in only one permit issued for a low-income unit . The sixth housing cycle ending in 2029 aims to address the long-simmering mess . The state ’ s official housing production goal is 180,000 units a year . The 197 jurisdictions
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of the Southern California Association of Governments ( SCAG ) need to create a total of 1,341,827 housing units . Orange County needs to produce about 75,000 more living units in the low-income category , and Laguna Beach needs to build 198 of those .
Which city excels at building affordable housing ? Irvine , with more than 4,000 units built and 1,000 more currently in progress , has the most affordable units of any city in Orange County .
At the meeting , heads nodded in agreement when it was mentioned that many neighbors and adult children who grew up in Laguna Beach have been evicted or priced out .
One Laguna Beach native in her late twenties , currently unhoused , attended the workshop to learn about affordable housing options that consider the challenges of her mental and physical disabilities . She explained why moving to a less expensive area was implausible . The doctors she depends on for daily help with her stability are local , so moving away comes with hurdles to her well-being that seem insurmountable . Hearing a personal story like this gave other attendees an understanding of why it can be crucial for a person ’ s needs to be supported in their hometown .
Attendee Mary Jo Winefordner said , “ For me , a true community is when the local cafe server , firefighter , or schoolteacher is also your fellow parishioner , PTA member , Girl Scout leader . I feel that vital component is missing here and elsewhere due to the lack of affordable housing .”
Ketta Brown , a former LBUSD board member who was just appointed to chair the city ’ s Housing and Human Services Committee and who serves on the board of directors for the Friendship Shelter , was blunt . “ If we don ’ t do something about affordable housing , we will no longer have a town we want to live in .”
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Dr . Michele McCormick , who chairs Neighborhood Church ’ s Spirit in Action team , echoed that sentiment . “ Without diversity , a city dies .”
Part of the discussion revolved around connections between environmental impact and workforce housing . Living close to work , including walkable distances , lowers auto emissions and reduces congestion and parking issues . Overall , affordable housing has numerous upsides : young adults and families can afford to live in Orange County , retail sales and tax bases are positively impacted , local businesses enjoy a more reliable workforce , commutes are shorter , negative health impacts are reduced , seniors can downsize and age in place , and urban land is used more wisely when retail and office space can be refurbished .
Henry noted that Europe had done an excellent job of planning housing for residents of all incomes . She cited her daughter ’ s newly purchased home in Amsterdam , which is located beside a ‘ social housing unit ’ that looks like all the other houses on her street . Such units are integrated into the community and near mass transit to prevent urban sprawl .
Dawn Price , executive director of Friendship Shelter , which operates the Alternative Sleeping Location emergency shelter in Laguna Canyon , led a breakout session . She noted that in south Orange County , Friendship Shelter ’ s service area , homelessness dropped by 23 percent , according to a regional Point In Time count held earlier this year . In Laguna Beach , where Friendship Shelter ’ s shelter and outreach programs operate , street homelessness dropped 60 percent , which Price attributes to the customized housing solutions and strong , ongoing support and guidance offered to each client .
Neighborhood Church Pastor Rodrick Echols , who has advocated
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Pastor Rod Echols speaks at the NCC affordable housing workshop on Nov . 28 . Photo / Barbara McMurray
for affordable housing for two decades , said , “ This workshop was designed to promote equity and social justice in our town . The conversation will continue as we work to find solutions to our considerable housing challenges .”
Henry worked for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for 11 years . Now retired , she and her fellow Welcoming Neighbors Home advocates have successfully lobbied for and won housing expansions in Lake Forest and San Clemente . The group encourages cities to adopt inclusionary housing policies that require extremely low and very low-income affordable housing units and champions permanent supportive housing as a proven solution to homelessness . They believe in a housing-first policy that holds that when people have a place to call home , they are better positioned to address other challenges . Welcoming Neighbors Home members provide dinner once a month at the Alternative Sleeping Location , among other outreach and direct-service efforts .
For information about the group , visit welcomingneighborshome . org .
For more information about California ’ s housing planning and requirements , visit hcd . ca . gov .
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