Caseworkers should be paid a living wage of approximately $64,000 per year so they can live here. To cover this cost, organizations need funding for that amount, plus benefits of 20-25%, plus overhead/indirect of 2 - 3 times the wage cost. Total cost per caseworker is then approximately $195,000 per year. Funds for 3 fulltime workers across La Luz and Catholic Charities comes to a total of $585,000 per year.

The total cash need for rental assistance across Sonoma Valley has never been estimated, but providers’ records suggest roughly $200,000 per year would be a good initial goal. 

These amounts seem high, but these services cost vastly less on a per-household basis than building new housing, and they are the only strategy available to keep vulnerable renters housed in the short term.