Poll: Most concerned about housing

With the cost of housing in Petaluma rapidly on the rise and a 1 percent vacancy rate in the rental market, about half of those responding to an unofficial online poll expressed various degrees of concern. When asked if they knew anyone who is having trouble finding or keeping house, 62 percent of those responding to the poll said yes.

Here were some of the comments:

“Housing is a basic human need. It’s extremely unethical to allow greed to drive up housing costs at people’s expense.”

--

“Rents are ridiculous. Our young people can’t afford to stay in their hometown.”

--

“Rentals are out of control with the wages most people earn. It is very difficult to get into lower income housing because of the extremely high numbers of people needing that kind of housing.”

--

“We are paying the price now for the previous progressive City Council’s policies of controlling growth in Petaluma. There is a lack of low income housing and it’s driving up the cost of existing and older housing now to where only the high income people can live here. It will take a long time to repair the damage done by the progressive councils and working people suffer in the meantime.”

--

“It’s heartbreaking to see people resort to begging on social media for help finding a place to live. We pay a hefty rent already for our west side home and probably would be priced out of Petaluma if we had to move.”

--

“We need more housing in the rental market and homes for sale. It’s sad when family members must leave town because they can’t afford or find even entry-level housing.”

--

“And, you know whose at fault? The money hungry, selfish developers. They’re driving up the housing market. And, the homeowners want ‘perfect’ tenants, so not many qualify. Too much greed, and intolerance.”

--

“For all the deaths, drugs, crime, liberal attitudes toward sex and lack of morals, terrible roads, lack of jobs, influx of Marinites, I will be leaving after 35 years here.”

--

“I didn’t buy a house until I was in my 40s and bought something I could afford without stretching. Expectations need to be realistic and lifestyles may need to be adjusted.”

--

“The rental market is outrageous! I know people who have and are moving out of Petaluma due to the extremely high cost of slum-looking rentals!”

--

“I work with affordable housing programs locally. These people are having huge issues finding places to live. If they rely on federal government funding, like Section 8, it can be even more of a challenge since many landlords now don’t want to take vouchers and won’t work with the Housing Authorities to meet HUD-approved rent maximums.”

--

“It’s simple supply and demand. If you can’t afford to live here, then go somewhere where you can.”

--

“My daughter works at a great job and earns pretty good money, but finds the rents in Petaluma, her hometown, eating up a large portion of her income. However, we don’t need any more tiny apartments (labeled “lofts” ). People can’t buy housing easily so rentals are becoming long term rentals.”

--

“Unfortunately, this real estate problem is no different then years ago when I was forced to leave Marin where I grew up simply because of the high housing costs. My kids are now in the same situation I was in years ago.”

--

“People are moving here because they can’t find housing in San Francisco or Oakland, and are willing to pay much more for housing and rentals because they have a San Francisco salary!”

--

“The cost of rent in Petaluma is not commensurate with our wages. I realize this is partially due to higher paying jobs in the surrounding areas, but the disparity in income compared to cost of living in Petaluma is unreasonable. Raising property taxes has exasperated the problem. People who own rental homes directly pass this tax on to their renters. The cost of purchasing a home is rising as well - and a long with it, taxes. What do we do about this problem? I don’t have a well-thought-out answer, but I believe there should be an effort by our officials and citizens to find solutions. Like many, I have personal experience struggling with high rents. I moved back, “home” four years ago. I am a master’s level, credentialed teacher with a great deal of experience and excellent references. One would think I would be able to secure a teaching position that would enable me to afford living in my home town. Nope. It’s a sad state when schools in my town avoid hiring people such as myself. They opt for teachers with less education and less experience so they can be paid lower wages - this is one example of a problem that needs a solution. Unfortunately, this one does not only impact residents in a financial way, it also impacts our quality of education.”

--