1993 Need Assessment Update & Fiscal Year 1994-95 Interim Priorities
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SAN MATEO COUNTY
FIELDS OF SERVICE CATEGORIES

1. BASIC NEEDS SERVICES: EMERGENCY SHELTER/FOOD/FINICAL ASSISTANCE/CLOTHING
(SEE LOW INCOME POPULATION CATEGORIES)

• The needs of the homeless and hungry of San Mateo are increasing. These people need an array of services from eviction prevention, counseling in job skills, physical and mental health, to receipt of essential material goods.

• The homeless can be grouped into categories of special needs. These are: single adults, youth, mentally ill, elderly people with physical disabilities, alcohol and drug abusers, families, children, battered women, veterans, immigrants, sex-offenders, and disaster victims. Many people fall into several of these categories increasing the complexity of providing services needed. Homeless women and children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population and families with children account for a majority of those using emergency food sites.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• The problem of affordable housing is most severe in the Bay Area where there are twice as many low income renter households than there are low cost rental units. The median advertised rent for a two bedroom apartment In San Mateo county $806 per month - among the highest in the nation.

• In the 1980's, 8,128 housing units for low and very low Income people were needed in San Mateo County and only 1,250, or 15% were produced. This contrasts starkly with the fact that 86% of all residential construction goals were met county-wide.

• The reason for the difficulty in developing low income housing that was started most frequently by housing professionals was neighborhood opposition to any development that was not expensive single family dwellings.

• The inadequate supply of low income housing in San Mateo has had the most severe impact on low and very low income households, 35,000 low income households are paying an excessive amount (over 25% of their monthly income) for housing and 12,140 lower income households are identified as needing rental subsidized. However, there are only about 5,000 to 6,000 housing subsidies or subsidized housing units county-wide and these are fully utilized already.

• Rents are second highest in the Bay Area.

• 395 federally subsided housing units are subject to conversion to market rate.

• Emergency shelters and transitional housing programs in the county were only able to serve 2,318 homeless people based on a survey in 1990 compared to the conservative estimate of 8,665 people who were homeless. For every one homeless person who received shelter or transitional housing services, at least three other homeless people could not receive these services if they request them.

• 50% of homeless people surveyed said they needed transitional housing services.

• 35% of homeless people surveyed said that they needed emergency shelter.

• Service providers reported that they were unable to provide shelter to 77% of homeless clients who requested this kind of help because of budget limitations or lack of space in existing programs.

• Services providers reported that 19% of homeless clients were survivors of domestic violence and San Mateo County Battered Women Services reported that they could not provide shelter for 60% of clients who needed it.

• Existence of an estimated 5,500 homeless people in a county which has fewer than 250 beds in transitional facilities demonstrates a serious need for transitional housing. 20% to 25% of the adult homeless are employed.  In the Shelter Network's Family Crossroads transitional housing program for families in Daly City, at any time almost half of the families are employed but do not have financial resources adequate to remain housed in the county.

• Families in transitional housing are largely minorityy, rely on public assistance, are larger than average and need job skills, training, or retraining to earn enough to support their families and pay for housing.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• San Mateo will continue to have one of the lowest unemployment rate in the State. Unemployment rate is a major factor in job training partnership program. The major job growth in San Mateo County will be in services and retail trade, although many are part time and/or seasonal, especially at the entry level. These jobs have no benefits. There is a trend throughout the County of employment turning full time jobs into part time to save on health benefits, and to attract students and elderly workers. San Mateo County has the highest percent of women in the Bay Area workforce, 59%

• The cities in northern San Mateo County have a higher unemployment rate than the County as a whole. The unemployed in North County need specific job skills of English language proficiency and job search skills. In South County, North Fair Oaks area of Redwood City has a high unemployment rate, especially for minorities.

• Nonagricultural wage and salary employment will expand by 10% during the 1989 - 1996 projection period, representing a gain of 29,400 jobs.

• Services and retail trade, San Mateo County's two largest industry divisions, together will provide close to three quarters of the growth.

• Business services will add more new jobs than any other single industry component and will represent 30% of the services growth.

• Many of the jobs to be added in restaurants and other retail establishments, particularly at the entry level, will be part time and/or seasonal positions.

• Air transportation, the county's largest single industry, will post a seven year gain of 3,900 jobs. However, almost 2/3 of these jobs were filled by mid-1990.

• Youth employment for East Palo Alto is estimated at 46%; North Fair Oaks 6% to 20% (Hispanic); 3.5% county average.

• For every problem for which legal assistance was received, four went unassisted.

• Two legal problems per year for every ten persons.

• Women need help because of domestic violence and divorce. Domestic violence restraining orders are complex and overwhelming and so difficult that many people after receiving forms fail to fill them out or file them when complete unless they receive assistance and follow up. Divorce precipitates financial disaster and tremendous suffering for women and children of all classes.

• According to a California Fair Employment and Housing Commission report, there is discrimination against people who are or appear to be foreign born regardless of citizenship or immigration status in California because of the Immigration Reform and Control Act and its penalties for employers who hire undocumented workers.

• Minorities are also at risk because of anti-drug policy
  enforcement which is increasingly focused on those who are young, male, Black or Hispanic. Property seizures occurring before a defendant goes to court; development of suspect profiles, loss of licenses; loss of jobs for State workers and sensitive areas; and mandatory drug testing are five particular examples.

• Assistance is needed in the County for basic immigration services. There are about 40,000 estimated undocumented immigrants in the County, 18,000 of whom are though to be eligible for services. There are community organizations that can provide immigration information and referral services. They are limited in what they can do and often make referrals to larger services in San Francisco. Legal assistance programs in the county need more bilingual, bicultural staff who are able to deal with non-English speaking residents.

• Young people are particularly in need of legal assistance due to education problems, teen parenting, and violence.

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