WEBINAR: Low Wages and Costly Housing

Please join us on Tuesday, November 17th at 7:00 PM for an informative webinar on wage inequality and housing access by clicking here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

We live in one of the most expensive regions in one of the most expensive states in our country. At the current national minimum wage, full time workers fall far short of earning enough to support their families with their basic needs. In fact, they would have to work 115 hours per week to afford the average apartment rent in California.  Many families fall below the admittedly insufficient poverty line.

On the other end they are squeezed by skyrocketing housing costs. The lack of affordable housing is a crisis: since 2010 Bay Area rents have risen more than 40%.  It’s not surprising so many of our families are homeless.  We are called as people of faith to respond to this suffering of our neighbors as we seek to build a Beloved Community. Learn about the barriers many of our neighbors are struggling to overcome, and what we can do to ensure that all members of our community are able to provide for their families.

Mary Fenelon has been a housing advocate for many years. She is currently co-chair of the Homeless and Affordable Housing Committee at Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church; a member of the boards  of directors of Trinity Center and Contra Costa Interfaith Housing; a member of the Multi-Faith Action Coalition Housing and Shelter Task Force, a member of the Economic Justice Action Team of UUJM and a member of East Bay Housing Organizations. She is a retired publishing sales and marketing executive.

Bob Lane is co-chair of the Economic Justice Task Force at Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church. He also chairs the Economic Justice Action Team for the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of California. He lives in Pleasanton with his wife, Sue, and their hyperactive cat Samson.