High housing costs mean a loss of young families and middle-income workers, as well as a growing population of urban poor, elderly, disabled, and homeless persons living in overcrowded housing conditions.

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For example, in 1983 the median priced home in South County was 4 times the median family income, but in Q2 of 2021, the median home price was approximately 25 times the median household income, leading to a large “affordability gap” — the differential between current median home sales prices and the price that families can reasonably afford.

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In a recent report from Realtor.com, Santa Barbara County ranked as the worst county in the nation for being “priced out” since Q4 of 2019. The report studied counties where housing price increases outpaced wage increases the greatest. (Realtor.com)

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Our 2022 Area Median Income of $100,100 is significantly lower than other California high cost coastal housing areas such as San Francisco ($166,000) and Ventura County ($115,400) (State HCD). Since we have comparable housing costs, we experience a greater affordability gap.

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Lack of affordable housing in our region also contributes to commuting, as local workers seek more affordable housing in other regional markets. For example, from 2000 to 2016, the number of commuters from Ventura County increased by 47% (SBCAG RHA, 2020). Additionally, there was an addition of 3,500 new net in-commuters into Santa Barbara County from 2010 to 2015 alone (Longitudinal Employment Housing Dynamics, 2015). Over 17,400 local workers commute into Santa Barbara County daily for work from Ventura County, San Luis Obispo County, and beyond (SBCAG RHA, 2020).

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It is clear that workers cannot afford to live in the community where they work. As workers are being priced out of the communities they serve, problems of community sustainability and declining intergenerational ties arise, as younger generations cannot afford to stay in the local community.

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However, the ability for working families and individuals to live in the community where they work is crucial in creating a strong foundation for family connectivity, increased quality of life, and economically healthy and vibrant communities. When people can reside near work, commute time is minimized and proximity to social networks is increased. This contributes greatly to the development of strong families in which parents can be more present in their children’s lives and more active within their communities.  The possibility of this prospect is largely dependent largely on the availability and accessibility of affordable housing in the region.