For decades the Monterey Bay Region has been producing new housing at a rate far below the gradual increase in demand.
The high cost of housing poses a significant challenge for families in Monterey County, as 41% of all households in the county spend more than 30% of their income on housing-related expenses. In Monterey County, an individual would need to work almost 3 times the state minimum wage to afford the average monthly rent, which has increased significantly. Housing costs drive the prices of everything else in Monterey County up as service providers of child care, retail and food build these housing costs into their prices. Expensive housing results in long commutes, traffic, or over-crowding in homes. Even more heightened by the Pandemic, there is a huge need for housing stability as many families are relatively financially stable but cannot incur the burden of transitioning into a new home or stepping out of homelessness.
United Way Monterey County is confronting the housing crisis by working to develop affordable housing developments as well as supporting strategies that mitigate homelessness.
Our Housing Initiatives
Emergency Food and Shelter grants
The Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) was created in 1983 to supplement and expand the work of local social service agencies, both nonprofit and governmental, in an effort to help people with economic emergencies (not disaster-related). Learn more.
Monterey County Rent and Utility Assistance
United Way Monterey County has partnered with the County of Monterey to distribute funding to provide rental and utility assistance to low-income eligible households located in Monterey County that are facing housing instability because of loss or reduction in income due to the COVID-19 crisis using state and federal relief funding. Learn more.
Stuff the Bus
Stuff the Bus is an annual school supply drive that provides new backpacks and school supplies to children facing homelessness or near homeless conditions. Learn more.