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Strategic Plan — FY 2000 -FY 2004 City of San Leandro • Page 21 of 35 Geogrjhic Distribution All programs listed are available to residents of the City of San Leandro. Priority: Increase and expand activities designed to prevent those currently housed from becoming homeless. Priority Analysis and Obstacles to Meeting Underserved Needs The following analysis of the homeless prevention needs and obstacles was prepared by the Alameda County HOME Consortium. As a Consortium member, the City of San Leandro subscribes to this priority and has proposed activities that meet the objective of increasing activities designed to prevent those currently housed from becoming homeless. For many people in the county who are working at low paid jobs, unemployed, or living on public benefits, it is very difficult to remain housed. According to the Alameda Countywide Homeless Continuum of Care Plan, as many as 120,000 Alameda County households survive on less than the equivalent of 50% of the area median income; of those, 66,000 households are at only 30% of area median income. For most people, housing is typically the largest expense in the household budget. Federal, state, and local housing programs frequently require that low- income households should pay no more than 30% of their gross income towards housing costs. According to the Alameda Countywide Homeless Continuum of Care Plan (April 1997), low income households in unsubsidized units spend 50% to 75% of their income on housing alone. The National Low Income Housing Coalition found that in order to afford the median fair market rent for a two bed- room'unit it would require a job that paid 516.56 per hour at 40 hours per week. (Present federal minimum wage is 55.15 per hour.) The more housing costs rise, the Tess disposable income low- income households have for other necessities, including food, health care, and education. Most low - income families live from paycheck to paycheck and are only one paycheck away from losing their current housing. Even when housing is available and a household can afford the rent payment, there are barriers which make it difficult for the household to obtain and maintain the housing. The move -in costs of first and last month's rent and security deposit are a large barrier to low- income households who have difficulty making ends meet at the end of the month. Any crisis such as job loss, health emergency, alcohol or drug (AOD) problems can cause the household to begin the spiral into homelessness. Prevention activities need to be expanded in programs that provide short-term rental assistance, rental guarantees, move -in costs, and housing scholarships to homeless and very low- income people. It is usually less expensive to prevent someone from becoming homeless than to help them once homeless and far less disruptive to the family.