Lack of Housing

I thoroughly related to the article written by Zadie Waletzko and Micah Littlepage called “UCSB Housing Crisis Needs a New Policy: Senate Bill 423 Could Help Solve the Apartment Crunch.”

As a current resident of the City of Santa Barbara, this reality of a lack of housing here has rung true for a couple of years now. It makes living difficult and forces some to stay in housing that might not be comfortable to live in, due to fear of moving out and not finding another place to live. Santa Barbara is truly an expensive city to rent or buy housing in, making the community less diverse, allowing only those wealthy enough to continue staying in the area.

I feel that a new policy and allowance of the City of Santa Barbara to build more affordable housing complexes would be a relief to residents. I know of many friends, who have lived in Santa Barbara all their life, finally give up, pack their bags, and move to somewhere more affordable with available housing.

It almost does not seem fair, but with the rising influx of students at the local community college and UCSB, there seems to be fewer and fewer options for residents from the city. I hope that the new Senate Bill 423 will allow for new building structures to be built, as the competition over what little housing is left in the city makes for some uncomfortable or unaffordable living situations.