How It Affects You and Your Community
Think for a moment about the one place where you should feel safe, secure, and able to truly live: your home. It’s the foundation upon which you build your life, your family, your future. But in San Diego County, this fundamental security is crumbling for far too many, and the clock is ticking. The affordable housing crisis here isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s an existential threat to the very fabric of our community. Ignoring it is no longer an option.
Consider this: while the market in San Diego County is flooded with fancy market-rate housing, the county is facing a severe shortage of affordable housing. The number of homes that everyday people can afford is dwindling while demand continues to grow. This isn’t just about numbers on a page. It translates to real people struggling to keep a roof over their heads, families being forced to leave the communities they love, and a growing sense of instability for everyone.
This crisis doesn’t affect everyone equally. Young adults, just starting their careers and families, are finding the dream of a stable future slipping through their fingers. The average rent is sky-high, often exceeding $2,000 a month, and the median home price is staggering, making homeownership an almost impossible feat for many. How can a young person build a life, save for the future, when so much of their income vanishes into keeping a roof overhead? The weight of this uncertainty can be crushing, a constant reminder of a future that feels increasingly out of reach.
At the other end of the spectrum, our senior citizens, who have contributed so much to our communities, are facing their own precarious reality. Many are on fixed incomes, struggling to afford basic necessities like food and healthcare alongside their housing costs. The fear of being displaced, of losing their independence and security in their twilight years, is a growing and terrifying prospect. The thought of those who have built our communities ending up on the streets should shake us to our core.
But there is hope, and there are those who are standing up to this challenge.
What We Can Do About It
The Equitable Land Use Alliance (ELUA) is a local non-profit committed to empowering communities and protecting local interests from misguided housing laws. They understand that our communities need a balanced approach to development, one that prioritizes the needs of all residents, not just wealthy developers.
ELUA is actively working to:
- Monitor local planning activities to ensure regulations support the community, intervening when necessary to defend community-focused protections. They act as a watchdog, making sure that development doesn’t come at the expense of the people who call San Diego home.
- Advocate for policies at the city, county, and state levels that prioritize the needs of seniors and low-income families. They are fighting to make sure our elected officials understand the urgency of this crisis and act accordingly.
- Educate the community on land use issues through regular updates, articles, and even a podcast series. They believe that an informed community is an empowered one, capable of making its voice heard.
- Collaborate with other groups and even pursue legal action when necessary to ensure fair and sustainable development. They understand that this is a fight that requires a united front.
Our mission is to foster community self-determination and promote sustainable development. They believe that communities should have a say in how they grow and that development should meet the diverse needs of everyone who lives here.
Help Us Fight This Battle
This is where you come in. You have the power to make a difference.
The housing crisis in San Diego County is not an abstract problem; it’s a clear and present danger to the well-being of our neighbors, our families, and our future. Supporting the Equitable Land Use Alliance is a concrete way to take action and fight for a more stable and equitable future for all San Diegans.
This crisis is immediate. The haphazard development currently underway will impact our communities for generations to come. The time to act is now!