Where are Latinos Experiencing the Most Housing Insecurity in California?
California faces a pressing housing crisis marked by soaring rents, limited affordable housing, and rising homelessness. Latinos, in particular, bear a disproportionate burden of housing insecurity, which includes homelessness, living in temporary lodging, overcrowded, doubled-up quarters, or substandard housing.
Studies have found that housing instability significantly increases one’s risk of homelessness. In times of crisis, many households turn to precarious housing strategies — from seeking shelter in low-budget motels/hotels to doubling up, the practice of sharing housing due to economic hardship or housing loss — that can be precursors to homelessness.
A comprehensive strategy must therefore support housing insecurity today to mitigate homelessness in the future. Quantifying housing insecurity can have significant implications on the government’s perception of the severity of the issue and the resources needed to address it. However, federal and state agencies lack comprehensive data on housing insecurity. Contextualizing homelessness within this larger paradigm brings to light the inequitable impact of housing insecurity. Studies show that Latinos are consistently underrepresented among those experiencing homelessness in the United States but they have a much higher risk of doubling up compared to other racial/ethnic groups.
