City Heights has always been a community for low income families. But recently, we see more middle class families finding housing here.  However with rent increases, low income families are being drawn out of their homes seeking lower rent or are moving into smaller homes. Some of them are even becoming homeless. I believe City Heights is slowly changing for the better in its view of the community from the outside, but the community in itself doesn’t seem like a community since most of its people are being kicked out by high prices in housing.

I know for many of my friends and family who live in the area of City Heights, rent has increased in the last couple of years. Rent is currently over $1,000 dollars in this area for a one bedroom apartment and for a house it’s much higher. I am lucky to have a landlord that understands that my family is a low income family and our income is coming from my grandfather, and from government provided EBT. My family only has to pay $800 in rent which is pretty low considering that the prices for rent are increasing. But some people I know have rent so high that they are either constantly moving or they are sharing an average four bedroom house with about six to nine people simply because it’s cheaper for them and their families to live in an overcrowded home.

This type of change for the City Heights community is making me sad because many of my neighbors, friends, and families have been struggling to get by on their minimum wage jobs. This shouldn’t be an issue but it is. This community has always been known as a low income community but this community has so much to offer with its massive cultural diversity and hard working people that are doing their best with what they have.

This was a place for those who came illegally for a better life, and to feel like they were somewhat safe and could gain a home, but now with the increasing rent most of them won’t. San Diego in general was a sanctuary city, especially since it’s so close the border. A sanctuary city are townships that limit their cooperation with the national government’s effort to enforce immigration law. Sanctuary cities want to reduce fear of breaking up families and them getting deported, so that those people can use health and social services, as well as enrolling themselves or their children into school.

The City Heights community is changing, and it’s not for the better.  Since many of those immigrant families would seek a home here, they may no longer afford it because the price of rent only escalates upwards and doesn’t seem to be going down anytime soon.