When Housing Costs Account for More Than Half of Household Income, People Are at Greater Risk of Becoming Homeless

In 2016, the average rent for a one bedroom apartment in California was $882*. The maximum SSI benefit was $889. Justice in Aging, a CA4SSI coalition member organization, teamed up with St. Mary's Center in Oakland, CA (also a CA4SSI member) to hear from a few Bay Area seniors on SSI about what it's really like to live on $889/month.

SF-Marin Food Bank, St. Anthony’s, and Senior & Disability Action asked SSI recipients what it’s like trying to make ends meet in one of the most expensive regions in the country.

CA4SSI member organization Hunger Action Los Angeles spoke to some folks on SSI about how the cuts to the SSP have affected them. 

*According to the Elder Economic Security Index. By 2019, the average rent had increased to $1,062.

Day of Action Illuminates Impossible Choices

On November 10, 2015 CA4SSI coalition members organized a statewide Day of Action to educate lawmakers, the media, and the public about the struggles of the low-income elderly and people with disabilities who struggle to survive on the current benefits. Watch the video below by CA4SSI member Alameda County Community Food Bank to hear about the impossible choices SSI/SSP recipients in California must make every day. 

#IfYouOnlyKnew

#IfYouOnlyKnew is a project by CA4SSI coalition member Alameda County Community Food Bank to educate legislators and community members about the struggles of low-income seniors and people with disabilities. Judy, Andrea, Carey, and Sharon who tell their stories in the videos below are residents of the San Francisco Bay Area and are just four of the 1.3 million people who have been pushed into poverty, because of the state government's failure to restore Supplemental Security Income (SSI/SSP) funding back to pre-recession levels. 

Poverty Disproportionately Affects Women

The four women in this video who tell their stories about trying to survive on a very limited income in California are representative of millions of other women, particularly women of color, who have worked hard all their lives, but never made enough to adequately save for retirement. See for yourself what they’re up against in this video produced by CA4SSI member Justice in Aging.