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The High Cost of Housing

Tents erected beneath the Hollywood Freeway during a rainstorm in Los Angeles. Photo by Matt Tinoco, KPCC

Frustrated by government’s slow response, Californians are serving homeless neighbors themselves

By | Feb. 13, 2019

As inequality increases and encampments sprout in virtually every city statewide, some Californians are taking it upon themselves to address the pressing needs of homeless people in their neighborhoods—doing the…
Heather Altman looks through old health insurance bills in her Long Beach home office. Photo by David Wagner, KPCC

Health insurance and higher ed could become more affordable for the middle class in California—but probably not the cost of caring for aging family members.

Agriculture in the Imperial Valley—an area known for high asthma rates and high level of air pollution. )The geothermal plant in the background releases steam and is not a culprit.) Photo by Olivier Hertel/Abaca/Sipa USA(Sipa via AP Images)

California's Imperial County is emblematic of life for millions of people around the state who live under an umbrella of bad air quality or who have contaminated soil or lack…

La Mesa resident Chad Regeczi saw his rent increase $300 on his apartment last year which prompted him to find another place to live. Photo by Amita Sharma, KPBS

Talk is underway about putting a law on the books that would bar California landlords from raising rent beyond a certain percentage.

Patricia Ortiz meets with Rosa at the Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project offices in Los Angeles to discuss her asylum case. Photo by David Wagner, KPCC

Migrants who make it into California find support mixed with hardship. Across the border, there’s a cadre of pro bono attorneys eager to help them navigate the asylum application process.…

Michael Weinstein, center, at an AIDS march in 2012 with comedian Margaret Cho, right, and musician Wyclef Jean, left. Photo by Elvert Barnes/Creative Commons

The main funder of the Yes on Proposition 10 rent control campaign is the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a Los Angeles nonprofit whose stated mission is to rid the world of…

Kaye, who asked that we not use her last name, receives a monthly rental subsidy from the City of Santa Monica as part of a pilot program to help seniors stay in their homes, July 11, 2018.

As senior homelessness spikes in some parts of the state, Santa Monica is trying out rental subsidies to help keep its seniors off the streets.

Brandon Miller waters the lawn in front of his Riverside home. Photo by Signe Larsen.

Federal data shows first-time buyers in California increasingly rely on family for help.

Angela George’s newborn Mateo takes a nap in her arms. Her family planning has been affected by California's high housing and child care costs. These financial factors have affected the California birth rate. | Photo by Amita Sharma

California's birth rate has dipped below the national average—and experts say the state's soaring housing costs are crimping its fertility.

Inaccurate cost of attendance estimates can throw off students’ budgeting and their financial aid packages.

A family of refugees from Afghanistan who live in Antioch, California, are shown.

California's skyrocketing housing costs have created a harsh new reality for refugees on the ground, many of whom are going to extraordinary lengths just to afford rent.

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