PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — Like most of California, Placer County faces an affordable housing crisis as its population grows, and to meet the demand, leaders are trying to make more housing that more people can afford.
A new report shows the housing challenges Placer County faces, including how much money you need to make to afford the average monthly rent.
In just the last decade, Placer County's population has boomed, and it is expected to have more than 500,000 residents by 2040.
Placer County Supervisor Cindy Gustafson said the county has changed a lot over the year, growing from a primarily rural agricultural community to one that is hosting very large suburban communities.
According to the Placer County five-year housing program update, the county has supported the creation of 480 units of affordable housing and provided more than $34 million in housing assistance since 2017.
"We're also now seeing with entitled growth and planned community growth in the western part of the county... we have over 32,000 new homes entitled... I think it's just over 1,500, currently in construction and then another 1,500 getting close to being ready for construction," she said.
The need for housing of various price points in the county is great.
"We've been working with a company called Lease to Locals, and they are working with second homeowners who might want to give up their home for six months or maybe longer in a rental program," Gustafson said.
A graph in the report shows where different wages of different jobs compare in being able to afford the average monthly rent in Placer County. For example, a janitor making about $17 an hour would need to make more than $37 an hour to afford the more than $1,900 average rent in the county.
"We've also been looking and working significantly in the in the area of accessory dwelling units to allow existing homeowners to add accessory dwelling units to their properties," Gustafson said.
While being creative in opening up new avenues for more housing, the county recognizes meeting housing demands is more than just building homes.
"We need to think outside the box to look at our workforce, and the rest of our young families and people who want to acquire homes throughout our county," she said. "How can we create this healthy balance that we need between jobs and homes for those individuals?"
The start of a new affordable housing community in South Lake Tahoe is also underway. The California Department of Housing and Community Development announced the first phase of Sugar Pine Village, a 248-unit community on once-vacant state-owned land.
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