San Luis Obispo residents ranked affordable rental housing as the top priority in a new County Homeless Services report.
The 2025 Community Development Needs Assessment report surveyed over 900 SLO County residents to identify the community’s most pressing needs. Affordable rental housing came out on top for over 78% of respondents.
The median monthly rent in the county is $1,922– $500 above the national average. Meanwhile, the average cost of a single-family home is over $900,000.
Suzie Freeman is with the SLO County Homeless Services Division:
“50% of respondents shared that they spent over 30% of their monthly gross income on housing costs,” Freeman said. “According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, that would classify them as housing cost burdened.”
Health care, mental health care services and homeless services were also ranked as top community needs. The findings of the survey will help guide how the County allocates federal housing funds over the next five years.
The 2024 Point-in-Time Count recorded 1,175 total people experiencing homelessness in the county.
