Housing policy and poverty: The case of California – Niskanen Center
Tackling Housing Crisis Is Key to Reducing California’s Poverty Rate – Vanguard News
“Housing costs are inextricably linked to poverty. California, the world’s fourth-largest economy, leads the nation—not in income equality, not in opportunity, but in poverty. According to a new analysis by the Niskanen Center, California has the highest poverty rate in the country when housing costs are factored in. And the reason is clear: sky-high housing costs have eclipsed the gains made by decades of anti-poverty programs. If we want to get serious about fighting poverty, it’s time to recognize housing policy reform for what it is: anti-poverty policy.
“The research, authored by Zachary Parolin, paints a sobering picture. The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), which accounts for local living costs, shows that California’s poverty rate is a staggering 17.7 percent—far above the national average of 12.4 percent. That difference is almost entirely explained by California’s rental prices.”