Workforce Housing Initiative

The Initiative
The dream of home ownership has become impossible for many who want to live and work in Contra Costa County. The lack of desirable housing that is affordable to a majority of workers proximate to their employment will not only limit the economic growth and vitality of Contra Costa County but is likely to reduce the quality of life for all residents.

In response to this growing crisis, he Contra Costa Economic Partnership (CCEP) established the Workforce Housing Initiative (WHI) to work with both the private and public sectors to increase the supply of housing available to all income levels of our current and future workforce in order to maintain our economic vitality and quality of life.

The Problem
Two-thirds of the working families in Contra Costa County earn less than $100,000 annually, but the median priced home in the County now exceeds $350,000. This disparity between family income and housing cost means a significant portion of our workforce including service workers, office personnel, teachers, public safety officers, health care workers and middle management cannot afford to live near their jobs. As a result, all of our residents are impacted by longer commutes, reduced air quality, lost productivity and a reduction in the quality of life of the commuting workforce and existing County residents.

Although population increase in the County steadily increased the past twenty years, housing production dropped by 50% during the last decade. This substantial reduction of supply in relation to demand has created the affordability crunch potential homebuyers now face. And it is housing costs that are cited as a primary reason employers are experiencing increasing difficulty in attracting and retainining qualified personnel in such quality of life areas as public safety, health services and education.

The Retirement Bubble
There is another issue is impacting the ability of employers to maintain a qualified workforce - the retirement bubble. The 2000 census indicates that 23.9% of the County's current population is at or near retirement age or will reach it within 20 years. Since residents hold approximately 75% of Contra Costa's jobs and 15% to 20% of that workforce potentially will retire within the next ten years, employers are faced with filling both new and existing positions to meet service demands. Without the addition of more housing affordable to the workforce proximate to job centers, some 62,000 employees may be forced to seek housing in more affordable markets outside the County.

The Future
It is already apparent that there is and will continue to be a problem in attracting a sufficient workforce able and interested in filling the projected job growth and retiree replacement needs. Public safety employees cannot afford to live in the communities in which they work limiting their availability in times of emergency. The health care industry reports serious problems in attracting new workers from staff support to skilled medical professionals exacerbated by a statewide shortage of workers. The education sector is experiencing increasing retention problems directly attributable to housing costs.

What Can The Workforce Housing Initiative Do?
The Workforce Housing Initiative will encourage and facilitate the availability and affordability of for sale and rental housing for all income levels of the workforce.

How Do I Get Involved?
Contact the:

Executive Director: Linda Best
925-246-1880
lbest@contracostacouncil.org.