A recently released report shows the issue of affordable housing in Silicon Valley is closely tied to another problem that has plagued the area.
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The report, commissioned by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, found that unaffordable housing directly ties to declining school enrollment, emphasizing that building more housing is a vital key to keep local schools afloat.
The report focused on five cities, Cupertino, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale, all of which are in the midst of updating their housing plans.
Over the next decade, Santa Clara County school enrollment is expected to drop by 15%, from 253,625 to 212,501. According to the study, the county will need to build nearly 130,000 homes of all income levels by 2031 to turn that number around.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said the region has been taking important steps to ensure this is a reality. "We have 890 units that have been built, 1,280 that are under construction and 729 units will begin construction within the next six months," she said.
The city of Santa Clara is also joining the effort. "We have thousands of units in Summerhill and did a big project on our Santa Clara Sunnyvale border, so I'd say 20 to 50,000 units," Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gilmour stated.
The Silicon Valley Community Foundation hopes the report will help education advocates and Silicon Valley leaders see the two issues as inextricably linked moving forward.
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