Lack of Affordable Housing Driving More Riverside County Families into Poverty

A renter household needs to earn 2.5 times the state minimum wage in order to afford average asking rents in Riverside County.
Inflation-adjusted median rents in Riverside County increased 31% from 2000 to 2013, while inflation adjusted median renter household income declined 3.5%.
Riverside County needs 66,409 additional affordable rental homes to meet the needs of its extremely low income (ELI) and very low-income (VLI) renters.
The vast majority of Riverside County’s low-income renters spend more than 50% of income on rent, leaving little left for food, transportation, health expenses, and other needs.
When housing costs are considered, Riverside County’s poverty rate rises from 17.6% to 21.2%, or one in five people.
Overcrowding for low-income renters in Riverside County is more than two times the national average, contributing significantly to poor health and academic achievement among low-income children.
Reductions in federal and state funds and elimination of redevelopment have reduced Riverside County’s affordable housing funding by over $153 million since 2008, a 82% reduction.