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More SMC Residents Sharing Housing Costs with Other Than Partners

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We know that the affordability crisis leads people to make tradeoffs that may compromise their well-being: residents will prioritize paying skyrocketing rents before buying their prescribed medicines. There are many ways local residents cope with the affordability crisis, and one of them is by sharing housing costs with other tenants. According to the 2018 Health and Quality Life Survey, 21.0% of San Mateo County respondents currently share housing costs with someone other than a spouse or partner in order to limit expenses. This is an upward trend since 2008. Shared housing costs are more common for residents less than age 40 (36.6%) and the Hispanic population (36.1%). As we analyze the results of the 2018 HQL, we will be sharing key findings with you via our newsletter and social media.