As a low-income student from the rural Central Valley, I never thought I would end up attending a university like UCSB. With sky-high rental prices and an infamous housing crisis, I had assumed that I would not be able to afford an expensive, coastal city like Santa Barbara. When I enrolled at UCSB as the first person in my near or extended family to ever attend a UC, I was overwhelmed with excitement and anticipation. Quickly after arriving, however, I was hit with another strong feeling. That of the housing dread.
With an average rental price of more than $4,000 for the average apartment and record-low vacancies, I had been unwillingly thrust into one of the most competitive and expensive housing markets in the country. Currently, I pay $2,000 a month for the privilege of sharing a double in on-campus housing. While I have been lucky enough to receive enough aid to make it work, this is not the case for most low-income students, who often must decide between prematurely terminating their education or relying on loans in order to cover the cost of living. In just last year alone, I watched as three of my friends and fellow students had to drop out and leave Santa Barbara after not being able to afford their tuition and housing payments.
For a community that prides itself on its top-notch education system and inclusive nature, I have often watched in bewilderment as residents rail against new housing while more students, families, and longtime residents slip into homelessness or have to settle for overpriced, subpar living conditions. For those who were fortunate enough to purchase their homes before prices spiraled into insanity, it might be difficult to understand this difficult reality we live in. But with an average rent that is more than $4,000 and only rising, I have to ask: Where will our students and teachers live? Where will our farmworkers, first responders, and other essential workers live? Where will I live?