Housing Equity in the Bay Area: Numbers and Narratives

The Bay Area’s housing crisis has reached a critical juncture, fueled by decades of underinvestment in affordable housing. This persistent shortfall has led to a marked increase in the number of unhoused residents and the involuntary displacement of countless families, with communities of color bearing the brunt. As the crisis continues to worsen, community leaders, elected officials, and advocates need reliable, disaggregated data that elucidates the deep-rooted housing inequities within the Bay Area and their cascading impacts on communities in the region.

Housing Equity in the Bay Area: Numbers and Narratives is a series from the Bay Area Equity Atlas that explores these pressing issues through data analysis and storytelling. Forthcoming analyses in the series will examine the growing housing burden, rising rents, and the overlaps between housing equity and climate justice efforts. This evolving body of work is developed in partnership with the Equity Campaign Leaders (ECL), our community advisory board. Many ECL organizations are on the frontlines of the Bay Area’s housing justice movement — driving policy reform, building coalitions, providing essential services, and developing affordable housing. Their insights and priorities are instrumental in shaping our research and ensuring it remains aligned with the lived realities of those most affected.

Through this series, we aim to underscore the urgency of the region’s housing crisis and inspire actionable change. By intertwining data with personal narratives, this work equips local changemakers with the tools and insights they need to engage deeply in the complex, ongoing dialogue about housing equity and reshape the Bay Area’s housing landscape for the benefit of all.