SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ammanda Mendez is part of the 56 percent of renters in Sacramento County who spend 30 percent or more of their household income on rent.
“This year has been so trying because of the rent,” Mendez said.
She told ABC10 she had to move out of the house she was renting in Fair Oaks after rent increased by almost $400. Mendez is now paying $1,400 for a 2-bedroom apartment in the same area.
“I'm about to lose my car. October 1, my car goes into repossession. I don't know what to do. I had to pick either putting a roof over my kid's head, myself, and my husband, or pay for our car,” Mendez said.
The mother of two, who works full-time as a medical assistant at UC Davis Medical Center, told ABC10 she doesn’t know what she’s going to do if she loses her car next month.
“I feel helpless and hopeless. I have to keep a roof over my family. One of my whole paychecks goes towards rent. I have $100 left afterwards. How can anybody support a whole family of four off $100 for two weeks?”
Mendez explains she and her husband already gave up their other car to pay their bills.
“We had a van that we had to sell for money just to be able to make ends meet,” she added.
Mendez says she’s hoping stronger rent control laws are passed soon.
“The rent needs to be controlled and something needs to be done to help people – or more programs for people like me – where we make too much to qualify for anything, but we make too little to be able to support ourselves,” Mendez added.
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