The Need for SHCLA Housing

Unhoused Living with Serious Mental Health Challanges in Alameda Co.

  • Roughly 15,000 unhoused in Alameda County
  • 32% of unhoused living with a serious mental health illness
  • 3,840 unsheltered homeless in Alameda County

People of color are overrepresented among those experiencing homelessness in Alameda County.

  • 47% of those experiencing homelessness identify as Black/African American compared to 11% of the county’s overall population.

The need for affordable housing for individuals with severe mental health challenges continues to increase due to a housing crisis that significantly affects this vulnerable population

  • In the Bay Area, fair market rents for one-bedroom apartments grew by 71% between 2013 - 2015.
  • Households living on fixed incomes face the most significant challenges in maintaining a home in this environment.
  • In 2024, a monthly SSI payment for disabled individuals covered less than half the monthly rent of a one-bedroom apartment in Alameda Co.

Alameda County experienced significant declines in the number of affordable rooms in facilities frequently used by low-income individuals with serious mental health challenges

  • Between 2004 and 2014, Oakland experienced a 55% decline in the number of available residential hotel units.
  • Fifty independent living facilities used by people living with serious mental health challenges had been sold or closed during that time, displacing an estimated 500 residents.
  • Alameda County lost 80 licensed board and care homes representing 1,600 beds
Illustration of an African American woman smiling

“I’ve seen people put out when they’re at their most vulnerable.”

- Alameda County peer