Parents holding down two or three jobs each.
Families doubled and tripled up in cramped apartments.
Underachieving students.
Poor health and nutrition.
A dwindling working-age population.
It is not all bad news, but Orange County’s new Community Indicators Report, an annual study by government agencies, businesses and philanthropies, points to many woes woven into the fabric of the county’s sunny suburbs.
One thread links them all: a calamitous shortage of affordable housing.
“Clearly, homelessness, overcrowding, and family financial instability are directly linked to high housing costs,” warns the 74-page data-rich report released last week.
“But other factors are indirectly linked. When families spend 50% or more of their income on housing, they have less remaining to pay for health care and healthy foods, affecting overall health.
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