Crisis getting worse as a California school district asks students' families to help house teachers

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In San Francisco's unforgiving housing market, school districts face high turnover and have difficulty recruiting teachers due to the high cost of living. After losing 10 teachers over the summer due to housing concerns, the Milpitas Unified School District flexed their creative muscles and turned to asking students' families to house them instead.¹ And it's no surprise, because with median rents costing roughly $3,400 per month in Milpitas, moderate income workers like teachers are left with little to no options to live near work. More housing is desperately needed for workers being priced out of housing. To this end, the AEI Housing Center will be hosting conferences throughout California laying out our blueprint for the creation of more housing supply for residents of all income levels with SB-9 and SB-10 from September 19-23.

If areas with expensive land prices, such as Milpitas, want their teachers to be able to afford housing, neighborhoods must increase housing density and diversity. A recent AEI study shows that light touch density—the construction of varied types of single family and low density multifamily units-- widens the range of price points that families can buy and rent in a neighborhood. And it's not just teachers who are cost-burdened by housing expenses. Over 50% of renters and almost 40% of homeowners are cost burdened-- spending over 30% of their income on housing-- in California. ² The mounting pressure from housing costs has led to increased homelessness, higher rates of young adults living with their parents, and more Californians departing for lower cost metros. To increase affordability in expensive metros, more townhomes, more duplexes, and more single-family homes on smaller lots must be built, so that the lower rungs of the housing ladder can be restored for those struggling to keep up with housing costs.

The California legislature has opened the door to increased supply through Light Touch Density using SB-9 and SB-10. If local communities want a course correction from their current housing woes, they would do best to embrace it rather than fight it. For those interested in learning more about solutions to California's housing crisis and how communities can house the workers that care for them, please join the AEI Housing Center team in California from September 18-23.

Registration is open for 6 conferences to be held the week of September 19th, 2022 that will feature discussions and conversations on the most pressing housing issues facing Californians. These conferences are free and open to the public.

Visit aei.org/california-housing-conference to register

AEI Housing Center Conference Schedule:

1. Jonathan Edwards, "School district asks parents to let teachers move in as rents soar."
2. California Budget & Policy Center, "California's Housing Affordability Crisis Hits Renters and Households With the Lowest Incomes the Hardest."

Media Contact Details:

Arthur Gailes
American Enterprise Institute Housing Center
Washington, DC
aei.org/california-housing-conference
[email protected]
804-662-0874

SOURCE AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH