Affordable Housing Advocacy in 4 Steps
Step One: Define the Affordable Housing Crisis at the Encinitas & County Level
While there is an affordable housing crisis across the nation, we focus on that crisis in our city and county. Consider these facts about Encinitas:
- an average home costs $1,300,000
- the average 2 bedroom rental is $2,500 per month
- 85% of housing consists of single family homes
- 86% of people working here commute because of unaffordable housing
- Encinitas Housing Production Relative to Demand in 2013-2020 study by Housing and Community Development revealed that the demand for low income housing was 1,033 units and 94 had been constructed
The City of Encinitas is taking a multifaceted approach to the problem, including but not limited to the following:
- streamlining the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) construction process
- providing Section 8 vouchers
- increasing the inclusionary rate [see Definitions page]
- increasing the density bonus percentage [see Definitions page]
- doing a feasibility study along the El Camino Corridor to identify a potential 100% Affordable Housing Community site.
If you want to know about the county-wide housing crisis, take a look at this comprehensive study from the office of Terra Lawson-Remer, the San Diego County District 3 Supervisor.
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Step Two: Understand affordable housing important definitions
See the definitions section of this site for everything you need to know.
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Step Three: Understand housing laws
Understanding the State of California Fair Housing Law AB 686, which mandates that Encinitas create fair housing opportunities through zoning, is an important step in engaging with the issue of affordable housing. The California Department of Housing and Community Development also has created a 50 minute video on Implementing AB 686.
In 2018, California passed AB 686 as the statewide framework to affirmatively further fair housing; promote inclusive communities, further housing choice, and address racial and economic disparities through government programs, policies and operations. As Affordable Housing advocates, we must create land-use and funding policies to increase affordable housing in Encinitas which, like much of our nation, has a long history of being exclusionary.
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