Geographic Divides in Los Angeles County: Demography, Income and Housing

Geographic Divides in Los Angeles County: Demography, Income and Housing has been published by the Center for Community Research and Solutions at United Way of Greater Los Angeles.

This research brief uses data from a special tabulation of the 2006 American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau to examine 69 communities and districts in L.A. County. This brief looks at how socio-economic conditions differ across the county using several indicators such as median income, high school graduation rates, homeownership rates, renter costs, poverty and more. The 69 communities are then ranked into a composite index according to these indicators. Tables and maps are also available to download.

Selected Findings:

• The median family income in L.A. County is $56,930; California's median family income is $64,563 (pg.6)
• There is a seven fold difference in median family income across the 69 communities (from $23,000 in the Westlake-downtown area to $163,000 in Malibu, Pacific Palisades, and Brentwood) (pg. 6).
• South Park has the lowest high school graduation rates of adults 25 and over (38.8%), while Calabasas-Agoura-Topanga Canyon has the highest rates at 97.3% (pg. 15).
• South Park community also has the highest rate of people living in poverty, with about 4 in 10 of its residents in poverty (pg. 15).
• Downtown-Westlake-Pico Union has the lowest owner occupied housing rate at 5.5%, while Calabasas-Agoura-Topanga Canyon has the highest at 83.4% (pg.15).

California Family Economic Self-Sufficiency Standard by County

The Family Economic Self-Sufficiency Standard (Self-Sufficiency Standard) has been published by the Insight Center for Community Economic Development.

The self-sufficiency standard is a measurement of income needed to for individuals and families to meet their basic needs on such items as food, housing, health care and transportation. Other costs taken into account include taxes incurred as well as child care. The self-sufficiency standard is available in varying types of households (such as one adult with one child, two adults with three children, two adults with one teenager or two adults with one infant, etc.).&n bsp; The self sufficiency standard is also available for all of California's counties for comparison.

Selected Findings:

• A single adult (single parent) in L.A. County with two children (preschool age) would need to earn $56,809 to meet basic household needs (pg. 2).
• A single adult (no children) in L.A. County would need to earn $2,203 a month (after taxes) to afford necessities such as housing, food, transportation and health care (pg. 1).
• To afford child care, a two parent household with two school aged children in L.A. County need to allocate about $770 a month (pg. 12).
• To afford health care for the family in L.A. County, a single parent with one school aged child needs to allocate $254 a month (pg. 1).

2nd Annual Gang Symposium 5.20.08

UCLA Department of Social Welfare and Communities in Schools present

Gangs...A Community Solution

Dodd Hall @ UCLA
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
6 PM to 8:30 PM

Keynote: Michael De La Rocha, City of LA Human Relations Commission

Contact: Michelle Talley: 310.206.2697 / talley@spa.ucla.edu

Out of Reach 2007-2008

Out of Reach 2007-2008 has been published by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition has released its annual Out of Reach report on housing affordability across the United States. This interactive web report allows you to find data on housing affordability as expressed in fair market rent. Data include: income needed to afford a studio, one bedroom, two bedroom, three bedroom or four bedroom apartment; how many hours you would need to work on minimum wage to afford such housing; a ranking by housing wage (hourly wage needed to afford a two bedroom apartment) by state, and county; and more. Data is available for comparison among states, counties and MSAs (Metropolitan Statistical Areas). Some of the files are downloadable in spreadsheet format.
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Selected Findings:

• 52% of L.A. County residents are renters compared to 43% for California as a whole.
• An average renter in L.A. County would need to work 47 hours a week to afford a one bedroom apartment.
• Since 2000, fair market rents for a one bedroom apartment have gone up 62% in L.A. County and 44% in California.
• Hawaii is the most expensive state in terms of renting a two bedroom apartment. One would need to earn $29.02 an hour to afford such an apartment. California was the second most expensive, ($24.01 an hour is needed to afford a two bedroom apartment).
• Individuals in L.A. County who rely only on the $870 a month of SSI (Supplemental Security Income) would have to use up 99% of their SSI benefit in order to pay for a fair market rent studio ($863 a month).

Changes in Homelessness, Supportive Housing and Tenant Characteristics

Changes in Homelessness, Supportive Housing and Tenant Characteristics has been published by the Urban Institute for the Corporation for Supportive Housing. 

The Hilton foundation gave a five year grant to the Corporation for Supportive Housing in 2005 to study and address long term homelessness in L.A. County.  An initial report was made then to document baseline levels of homelessness and the efforts made by agencies in L.A. County fighting homelessness.  This report is an update of that initial evaluation report.   Inclu ded are: changes in numbers of people homeless (total, chronic, and disabled), who is being served by permanent supportive housing (single adults, families, as well as where they came from, for example, street or shelter), what government agencies and funding streams have done since the initial report, and more.
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Selected Findings:

• 14,000 more permanent supportive housing units are needed in L.A. County to end chronic homelessness (pg. 9).
• The vast majority of permanent supportive housing tenants surveyed were single adults 89%; families made up 5%. (pg. 10).
• 67% of permanent supportive housingtenants in L.A. County had a serious mental illness in 2007, compared to 55% in 2004 (pg. 12). 
• For fiscal year 2007, permanent supportive housingprojects in LA County received $28.6 million in funding (for operating resources) compared to $25.7 million in 2004 (pg. 15). 

United Way of Greater Los Angeles

http://www.unitedwayla.org