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Alameda Countywide Homeless and Special Needs Housing Plan 47 Housing in Alameda County The high cost of housing in Alameda County combined with the extremely low incomes of many people with disabilities leaves many people vulnerable to homelessness and housing instability. Alameda County has affordable and supportive housing resources for the plan's populations, but unmet needs for housing and services still exist. This chapter presents background information about market-rate and subsidized housing in Alameda County. (Please refer to Companion Materials, 7. Housing in Alameda County: Expanded Version for a more comprehensive overview of information related to this chapter.) Please see the chapter entitled Housing Assistance Needs of People Who Are Homeless and/or Have Special Needs for a detailed estimate of the amount and types of housing needed for the plan's three target populations. Income and Poverty in Alameda County Many people with disabilities depend on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) as their sole source of income. Although SSI is a crucial source of support, people with SSI have extremely low incomes; this impacts their ability to provide for their basic needs without additional assistance. The median family income established by HUD in 2005 for a four-person household in Alameda County was $82,000, which is 40 percent more than the national median income of $58,000.11 In comparison, in 2005 SSI pays a maximum of $812 per month to a disabled single person under 65 living independently in California. 12 This is equivalent to just $9,744 per year, or 17 percent of Alameda County's median income for an individual. SSI payments leave recipients near poverty level, which was $9,570 per year in 2005.13 In 2002, the most recent year for which data is available, 10 percent of Alameda County's residents were living in poverty. 14 The federal poverty level was developed in the 1960s and has been adjusted only for inflation since then. The poverty standard implies a two-parent family with a stay-at-home mom, which does not reflect the reality of many oftoday's families, and does not vary based on a family's location. A more realistic standard called the "Self-Sufficiency Standard," which takes the costs of childcare, housing, transportation, and health care into account, is being used in 35 states. 15 II u.s. Department of Housing and Urban Development, "Estimated Median Family Incomes for Fiscal Year 2005," February 11, 2005. Available online: www.huduser.org/datasets/il/iI05/(Accessed: March 28,2005). 12 Social Security Administration, "Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in California," January 2005. Available online: www.ssa.gov/pubslI I I 25.html#pay (Accessed: March 28, 2005). IJ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "The 2005 HHS Poverty Guidelines." Available online: aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/05poverty.shtml (Accessed: May 12,2005) 14 U.S. Census Bureau, "Small Area Income & Poverty Estimates, Estimates for California Counties: 2002." Available online: www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/county.html(Accessed: March 28, 2005). 15 United Way of the Bay Area, The Bottom Line: Setting the Real Standard/or Bay Area Working Families, 2004. A collaborative project of the United Way of the Bay Area, Center for Women's Welfare at the University of Washington, the National Economic Development and Law Center, and Wider Opportunities for Women. Available online: www.uwba.org/uw_impactlFact_SheetslBottomLine _final.pdf (Accessed: February 2, 2005).