A room of students, faculty and community members filled the conference room in the Student Union at Los Medanos College to learn more about housing problems in Contra Costa County. Panelists gathered Tuesday morning, Oct. 3, and featured voices from city government officials of Antioch, Brentwood, Pittsburg, County housing representatives, nonprofits and students. Inspired by the Experiences special publication of “A Tough Climb,” this moderated discussion focused on shedding light on the housing challenges.
The hour-long discussion was moderated by Aliyah Ramirez, editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, and covered four primary topics. The given responses sparked questions from the audience, but not all have been answered. Listed below are the remaining audience questions from the event that have been answered by three featured voices.
Since the event, panelists were asked to respond to audience questions and provide insight into issues posed by the crowd. As of publication date, Pittsburg Mayor Shanelle Scales-Preston as well as the representatives from Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Nicole Arlington and Christian Copeland, had not responded. But the other members weighed in on several different questions posed.
The questions touched on many topics surrounding housing insecurity, homelessness and the lack of jobs nearby. In fact, Brentwood Vice Mayor Suzannah Meyer weighed in on this exact issue.
“In Brentwood, our jobs/housing balance is way off,” Meyers said. “We do not have the infrastructure – roads, traffic, space in schools, etc – or the livable wage jobs to accommodate so many additional residents.”
In contrast, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe thinks that there is a bigger issue than just the number of jobs.
“The issue isn’t jobs, the issue is stagnant wages that aren’t keeping up with costs overall,” Thorpe said.
Apart from the issue of jobs, Thorpe also touched on how his city has been moving towards helping the homeless, especially those in encampments or dealing with drug addictions.
“[We have] Opportunity Village. So those experiencing drug addiction, we provide support services to deal with the matter,” Thorpe said.
Among those responding to the questions posed, Assistant Deputy Director for the County’s Housing and Community Improvement Program Gabriel Lemus weighed in on other topics pertaining to the county’s role in alleviating housing insecurity. Lemus touched on several topics, such as the public’s role in providing funds.
“The budget of a city or county, which is primarily composed of money from taxpayers, is set and approved by the elected officials of the cities and counties – city councils or County Board of Supervisors. So, in an indirect way, the people have a say on how tax money is to be spent since the people elect their respective representatives within their city or county,” Lemus said. “However, it is still within the overall purview of the elected body of the city or county.”
If you are experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness, resources are available for the campus community. More information on the college’s Basic Needs Program can be viewed on the LMC website. In addition to county assistance, please view Contra Costa County’s website for homeless services.
