❤️ THANK YOU to all listeners and readers who donated during our Spring Drive! We couldn’t do it without you!In these challenging times, the need for reliable local reporting has never been greater. Put a value on the impact of our year-round coverage. Help us continue to highlight LA stories, hold the powerful accountable, and amplify community voices. Your support keeps our reporting free for all to use. Stand with us today.
“It breaks my heart,” said Delgado, 31. “I'm a Westside girl, through and through. I was born and raised here. My dad was born and raised here... I just don't know if Theo is going to be able to be raised here.”Across Los Angeles, millennial parents are being driven to the same conclusion. The region’s severe lack of affordable family-sized housing has families moving out of state or deciding to delay having kids, leading to declining school enrollment and broken family ties.
“This isn't a permanent thing,” she said. “I don't want to be a stay-at-home mom forever. And I'm scared that the price of both housing and childcare is just going up.”While financial pressures and caregiving are the top reasons cited for such arrangements, a substantial percentage of people — 28% — said their families had always lived multigenerationally.Delgado admits the idea makes financial sense. But she’s not sure she’s ready for such a big move.
“The biggest difference is just feeling like there's not so much outdoor space for the kids,” Mercado said. There are also times when different family members are on different wavelengths.“When I'm tired, but the kids are bouncy, it can be difficult,” she said. “Or if my husband is wanting to cook up a storm, but I'm wanting to chill.”
Buying a home would mean “leaving L.A. or getting really creative and figuring out how to do it with other people,” Mercado said, keeping her mind open to co-buying property with friends. “Those seem like the only two options.”from the Public Policy Institute of California found that half of Californians aged 18 to 34 had considered moving to a cheaper area or leaving the state entirely due to housing costs.