Addressing the Housing Crisis in California: A Perspective from Thomas Irwin

The housing crisis in California has reached a breaking point, leaving many families desperate to find affordable housing options. Thomas Irwin, a member of the Southern California Association of Government’s Housing Leadership Academy, is one of many Californians feeling the strain of skyrocketing home prices and rent costs.

With the median home price in California reaching $898,000 and rent for a three-bedroom house exceeding $3,000 a month, the state legislature recently passed a budget including half a billion dollars for a program providing down-payment assistance for first-time home buyers. While this may seem like a step in the right direction, experts like Irwin warn that throwing money at the problem may do more harm than good.

The “California Dream for All Program” aims to lend qualified middle-class Californians up to 17 percent of a home’s value for their down payment. However, the influx of money into the real estate market without a corresponding increase in housing supply is likely to drive prices even higher, making it difficult for families like Irwin’s to compete in the market.

Irwin and his wife have been saving for years to buy their first home in East Los Angeles, but rising prices have put their dream out of reach. With zoning regulations restricting housing options and ambitious bills to address the supply problem repeatedly failing in Sacramento, the focus on subsidizing down payments for first-time home buyers may not be the most effective solution.

Instead, Irwin suggests that lawmakers should prioritize reforming zoning laws and increasing housing supply to address the root of the housing crisis. By removing parking minimums and legalizing housing in commercial corridors, California could see an increase in housing construction and a decrease in prices, similar to the success seen in other cities like Minneapolis.

While Irwin would love to buy a house, he believes that resources should be directed towards those most urgently in need, such as the 160,000 people living without a home in California. Building more houses, rather than making existing ones more expensive, is the key to solving California’s housing problem and providing affordable housing options for all residents.