CRISIS. COMMUNITY RESPONSE.
Across our nation, the lack of affordable housing, lack of access to healthcare and safety net services, and economic and employment trends are causing people to lose their housing. In our County, nearly 15,000 people each year experience homelessness. Homelessness can result from the sudden loss of a job, illness, or other catastrophic event. Chronic disabilities such as long-term mental illness, substance addiction, and HIV can also lead to homelessness. Contra Costa County rental housing costs are among the highest in the nation, and there is a severe shortage of permanent, affordable housing. Even when a person or family earns a steady income, it is sometimes not enough to pay for secure housing.
- A U.S.A. Today report on homelessness found that Contra Costa County has the eleventh-highest homeless population in the nation.
- Half of our homeless residents are children.
- Families are our fastest-growing homeless population.
Our county has responded to this crisis by establishing a comprehensive Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness. Advocates, service and housing providers, and public officials worked together on the plan. The plan identifies the creation of permanent, affordable housing as the goal and priority in providing assistance to homeless people. The plan also recognizes that access to comprehensive and integrated support services is essential to achieving long-term housing stability. Working with our public and nonprofit partners, our faith-based community members, our volunteers, and our donors, CCIH is firmly committed to ending homelessness in the County.
