Low-Income Housing: Poverty Is Relative

There is no disputing the fact that the cost of renting or owning a dwelling in Orange County is extreme.

I have a friend in Irvine who makes around $35,000 a year and pays $1,000 a month for a studio apartment. This certainly is not ideal. But the example used in “Orange County Poor Struggle to Find Homes” (July 11) was the Morales family, a married couple with four children. At first glance, one might think it a shame that this family of six must share a studio apartment.

Francisco Morales (the family’s father) is upset about the rising cost of living in Southern California. Sure, we all are. Morales takes home approximately $1,600 (gross) per month. I, a single male renting in Los Angeles, find it difficult to get by on similar wages. Morales, who has four children, ought to place the blame where it is due--on himself. To bring four children into the world on wages of $9.50 an hour is nothing short of irresponsible. To expect to afford a three-bedroom house in one of the wealthiest communities in the world--on this salary--is asinine.

Oliver Lang

Los Angeles

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On July 11, The Times had two stories with the same word, “poor,” in the headline but completely different meanings for it within the texts of the stories. The family in the Orange County story earned less than $20,000 and was struggling to afford a studio apartment for a family of six. “Pasadena to Require 15% of New Housing for Poorer Residents” tells of Pasadena’s new ordinance, which would provide that 10% of new projects would be for low-income families and 5% would be for moderate-income families. Low income in Pasadena is $50,550 for a family of six, and moderate income is $75,850 for a family of six. Pasadena’s ordinance will never provide housing for a family like the one described in the Orange County story. Sadly, nobody else will either.

Allen P. Baldwin

Exec. Dir., Orange County

Community Housing Corp.

Santa Ana