Overview

• A study of nearly 3,200 homeless Californians found that high housing costs were the main reason for their homelessness, with incomes too low to afford rent.
• Black and Indigenous groups were overrepresented in the homeless population compared to their share of the general population.
• Mental health issues and substance abuse were common but often predated homelessness.
• Most said emergency rental assistance of a few hundred dollars a month could have prevented their homelessness.
• To solve the crisis, California needs dramatically more affordable housing for extremely low-income residents, the study concluded.