Latinos Shut Out of Affordable Housing

KABC - 7
October 30, 2003


LOS ANGELES - A study released today reports that soaring home prices, growing population and slow rate of new construction has shut out the average Latino family in Los Angeles from home ownership.



Chasing the Dream: Latinos and Housing in Los Angeles County

"At the current time, the typical Latino family has little choice but to live in expensive and inadequate rental units," said Mara Marks, associate director of the Center for the Study for Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University, which reached the findings.

"If the `American Dream' is to remain viable for this region's largest demographic group, Los Angeles County needs more housing, as well as home loans that are cheaper and of higher quality," Marks said.

The study is part of the "Latino Scorecard 2003, Grading the American Dream." The Latino Scorecard is a five-year program that aims to develop public policy initiatives to improve the lives of Latinos.

The study was authored by Marks, Fernando Guerra, director of the Center, and Matt Barreto, research fellow at the Center.

The study focused on four areas: Accessibility, availability, affordability and quality.

Among the findings:

-- Latinos receive 17 percent of new home loans and have higher rejection rates than whites;

-- Latino home ownership stands at 38 percent, compared to 58 percent among whites;

-- One new home is being built for every 30 Latinos who move to Los Angeles;

-- The average Latino family spends almost half its income on housing; and

-- Latino families tend to live in homes in poorer condition, with less square footage and with more people per room than non-Latinos.

Marks said private, pubic and nonprofit sectors must work together to prioritize housing issues.

Nearly half of Los Angeles County's population is Latino, and the majority of children born are Latino.

"As a result of current demographic trends, what impacts Latinos impacts all Angelenos," Marks said.

The Latino Scorecard is sponsored by the United Way of Greater Los Angeles.

The full housing portion of the scorecard can be found at www.lmu.edu/csla.