Housing
The cost of housing take up a substantial portion of Monterey County women’s earnings, and the state of the local economy puts additional pressures on local families trying to keep or find an affordable place to live. Half of all local households report spending over 30% of their income on rent and utilities. (Source: American Community Survey, 2009)
Focus groups also pointed to the lack of shelter services and other housing and assistance options for single women without children in Monterey County.
One study showed that Monterey County’s senior renters need to earn at least 2.3 times the federal poverty level in order to meet basic living expenses, yet with that amount of income they are ineligible for many public assistance programs.
Confirmed in Compliance with National