San Jose teens express concerns about rising housing prices

Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic, an independent journalism training program for high school and college students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.

San Jose is one of the priciest places in the nation to purchase or rent a home. As a result, many local students, especially those who come from low-income backgrounds, say they worry about helping their families afford housing.

Sofia Hernandez, a 17-year-old San Jose High School student, said she is worried about her family of four having to pay high prices for housing among other necessities like food or school supplies.

Hernandez said that feeling motivates her to work part-time at a local mall. She wants to help contribute with other expenses, so her parents can focus on paying rent, which is around $4,000 a month.

“I try to help by working and buying my own stuff with my money,” she said. “I also help with paying school stuff for my little sister or buy some groceries. At least they don’t have to spend on that.”

According to San Jose-based Block Change Real Estate,  the median price for a single-family home in the city is about $1.44 million. The average rent of a two-bedroom in San Jose is $2,898 a month. Approximately 400,000 people, or 45% of San Jose’s population, are renters.

Fellow student Fernanda Chiw also worries about the prices in the Bay Area and the high cost of living. The 17-year-old wants to help her family of four with rent as soon as she gets a job.

“The rent is way too expensive for my family. It doesn’t let us live comfortably and to buy our necessities,” Chiw said.

Alexis Miranda, an 18-year-old who lives in San Jose, said he worries about not being able to help his family financially. Miranda, who lives at home with his parents, wants to find a place to move to but says it is too expensive.

“I’m going to work this year and look for cheaper places,” Miranda said. “It’s way too expensive in San Jose.”

California considers a family of four in Santa Clara County that earns up to $160,000 annually low income. In San Jose, 79,000 residents, or 8% of the city’s population, are considered low income. Meanwhile the average household income in San Jose is $141,565.

East San Jose, specifically the Mayfair and Alum Rock communities, has the largest low-income population in the city.

It’s not only students that notice the rising housing prices, but adults as well.

San Jose resident María Martinez said she struggles to make her monthly $2,500 rent on time. Martinez, who is a single mother of three children said it is also difficult for her to afford other necessities.

“It’s so difficult to try to make ends meet, more so when you are a single mother of three,” Martinez said in Spanish. “I’m trying to make the rent payment on time. I can’t afford groceries and rent at the same time.”

Her neighbor Elvira Alvarez said she is also concerned about increasing housing prices. Alvarez lives in East San Jose and bought her house in the late 1990s. While Alvarez is a homeowner, she worries for her neighbors, who need to pay a lot of rent.

“The prices have changed a lot in recent years,” the 71-year-old said in Spanish. “I won’t say back then it was definitely more affordable than today.”

“I am grateful for buying a house before all of these absurd prices,” she said. “If this continues, the people in the community won’t have places to live.”

Angelique Alvarez Martinez is a member of the class of 2026 at San Jose High School.