Uncommon Knowledge
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More than 660,000 older Americans in California are living below the poverty line, according to an analysis by the health research site KFF, the highest number in the country.
The number—662,000—amounts to about 11 percent of California residents who were 65 or older in 2022. In percentage terms, the District of Columbia was the leading area with more than 20 percent of seniors living below the poverty line.
In 2022, the poverty line was $14,040 for an individual age 65 or older and $17,710 for a home with resident age 65 or older.
Stock Photo/Cultura Exclusive/Peter Muller via Getty Images
Overall, about 6 million older Americans were living in poverty in the United States, according to KFF’s analysis, amounting to about 1 in 10 of that demographic. The U.S. poverty levels fell during COVID-19 as a result of government helping provide support in the pandemic-induced economic crisis.
Housing costs, which typically tend to amount to about one-third of people’s expenses, are substantially high in the Golden Gate State compared to the rest of the country. In 2023, for example, the average rent was $1,837, compared to the national level of about to $1,702, according to Smart Asset. Overall, the cost of living is 38 percent higher in the states compared to the national average, Rent Cafe said.
The lack of affordable housing is particularly significant in putting pressure on older Americans and their incomes.
“The lack of enough affordable housing is forcing low-income older Californians to make hard choices about whether to pay their rent or buy food, medicine, or meet other basic needs,” according to a Justice in Aging, an organization that works in anti-poverty issue affecting seniors. “It is also the primary driver of the continuing alarming increase in older adult homelessness.
“Six out of ten of all older renter households in California face unaffordable rents—and that has not improved in five years. California renters are more likely to struggle to pay their housing costs as they age.”
The group found that older female retirees struggled the most with the high cost of housing.
“One group that is particularly hard hit is women age 75 and older who are living alone,” Justice in Aging said. “These older female renters are at particularly high risk of housing instability, with 72 [percent] rental cost burdened and 51 [percent] paying more than half of their income for housing costs.
“Women in this age group are more likely to have lost their spouse or partner. Older women have also been subjected to a lifetime of reduced earnings due to the gender wage gap and interruptions from the workforce for caregiving.”
With women outlasting men with on average and with diminished earnings, older female retirees find themselves struggling.
“Older women, who are living longer on average than men, are living on a low, fixed retirement income, and have exhausted their savings,” Justice in Aging said.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
CORTE MADERA, Calif. (AP) — Heavy rain and high tides believed to be the most severe in two decades caused flooding in parts of Northern California on Saturday, prompting road closures and rescues of residents trapped in their cars.
Roadways through a 15-mile (24-kilometer) stretch from the Sausalito area to San Rafael were flooded after a downpour coincided with record-breaking “ King Tides,” Marin County Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Dobbins said.
No injuries were reported but authorities were called to assist when cars got stuck in floodwater as high as three and four feet (1.1 and 1.2 meters), he said.
“There is a lot of water in the roadways,” Dobbins said, adding the tides were reportedly the highest in more than two decades. “Along with heavy rains, it just created the perfect storm for flooding on the streets.”
Authorities in the communities near San Francisco asked residents to stay home wherever possible until waters recede. Some residents kayaked along what normally would be city streets. Others waded out in water that passed their knees.
A flood warning was in place for the San Francisco area until 2 p.m. Saturday and an advisory until 2 p.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in San Francisco.
King Tides occur when the sun, moon and Earth are in alignment and the moon is in its closest position to the Earth, creating a stronger gravitational pull.
10:06 PM: Police are arriving at the scene of a two-vehicle crash reported at California/Dakota, with at least two people hurt.
11:06 PM: Police have just reopened the street. We went to the scene after a report that one vehicle had ended up on the lawn of a church – First Lutheran Church of West Seattle (WSB sponsor) – is on the southwest corner – but all we could see was one vehicle on the sidewalk. We’re following up with SFD regarding the people who were hurt.
Last week’s rain won’t be the end of Southern California’s wild weather as strong wind gusts are forecast through the area until Tuesday.
Gusts of up to 65 mph are expected in mountains and valleys throughout the region, with the National Weather Service warning that power outages were possible and that residents should keep an eye out for downed trees and power lines.
“Travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles,” according to an alert issued by the National Weather Service.
The recent storms that drenched Southern California and soaked the soil could also “increase the likelihood of damage” caused by downed trees and power lines, the agency noted.
The National Weather Service issued the advisory Sunday, warning that the western Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Susana Mountains, San Gabriel Mountains and the Interstate 5 and Highway 14 corridors could see strong winds starting Sunday evening, lasting until Monday afternoon.
Winds between 20 to 30 mph are expected in those areas until Sunday evening. Wind speeds are then predicted to pick up until Monday afternoon, with northeast winds of up to 40 mph and gusts of up to 65 mph.
A similar alert for strong gusts was issued by the weather service for the San Bernardino and Riverside County mountain and valley regions, as well as the Santa Ana Mountains, where strong winds could linger until Tuesday afternoon.
Northeast winds with speeds of up to 30 mph are expected to hit the area starting this evening, with gusts of up to 60 mph.
The high wind alerts come after the region was drenched for days, causing debris flows that washed through homes in Wrightwood. At least three people were killed in storm-related deaths, including a man in San Diego who was struck by a falling tree. In Boyle Heights, a rare tornado touched down on Christmas morning.
More rain is expected this week, including the possibility of rain on New Year’s Day.
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