A new quality-of-life study of Palm Springs' LGBTQ+ community found residents describe a strong and supportive network of neighbors and friends, but many are still wrestling with mental health struggles, housing costs they can barely afford, and worry over covering basic bills. The study surveyed 542 Palm Springs respondents, part of a larger pool of 1,356 people who completed a valley-wide survey.
The findings were presented by the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert and Health Assessment and Research for Communities, known as HARC, according to NBC Palm Springs. The station reports that while residents report a strong and supportive community, many continue to struggle with mental health, housing affordability and financial security. Forty-three percent of respondents said they had been diagnosed with anxiety or depression, the station notes.
Housing emerged as one of the study's sharpest pressure points, though the two outlets that reported on the findings describe the threshold slightly differently. NBC Palm Springs says 33% of respondents spend more than 30% of their income on housing, while The Palm Springs Post reports that 33% spent 30% or more of their monthly income on housing. On financial security, NBC Palm Springs says 36% reported moderate concerns about having enough money to cover basic necessities, while the Post describes the same share as at least moderately worried about having enough money for basic needs.
Who Took Part in the Survey
The Palm Springs Post reports that 93% of the Palm Springs respondents were full-time Coachella Valley residents, and 73% were 55 or older. The study wasn't limited to a survey instrument alone — the outlet notes it combined 16 key interest holder interviews, 13 focus groups with 68 residents, and the survey responses to build a fuller picture of local needs. Separately, the Post reports that 14% of respondents said they needed health care but could not get it because of cost.
NBC Palm Springs reporter Maria Noble Valdez spoke with people in downtown Palm Springs about the findings as Palm Springs Pride was getting underway. Some residents told the station they found the mental health figures surprising, while others suggested the area's older LGBTQ+ population may be a factor. Residents also raised concerns about the broader cost of living, with some suggesting that people relocating from areas such as Los Angeles may be contributing to rising housing costs — explanations offered by residents themselves rather than conclusions drawn by the study.
A Longer Pattern of Rising Mental Health Concerns
The new figures echo a trend documented years earlier. A 2019 needs assessment from HARC and the LGBTQ Community Center, which drew on 572 valid participants, found that the share of participants reporting an emotional, mental or behavioral problem in the previous 12 months rose from 42.6% in 2013 to 64.8% in 2019, according to the 2019 HARC and LGBTQ Community Center needs assessment. That same assessment found that 91.9% of participants considered low-cost counseling specifically for the LGBT community very important. HARC says its ongoing Community Health Survey work is designed to examine Coachella Valley trends over time and compare results to the county, state and nation where applicable, per the organization's own description of its survey program.
Housing Costs Across the Valley
The housing concerns raised by survey respondents fit into a wider regional affordability picture. The Los Angeles Times reported that the Coachella Valley has a higher share of rent-burdened households than Riverside County, the state or the nation as a whole, based on American Community Survey data compiled by the nonprofit Lift to Rise. According to the Times, Lift to Rise counted 9,300 affordable housing units in its Coachella Valley pipeline as of April, spanning completed projects and developments still in progress — among them Aloe Palm Canyon in Palm Springs, planned as a 71-unit affordable complex for lower-income adults age 55 and older.
Older data points to just how long affordability has been a strain in the region. A 2016 American Community Survey five-year estimate found that 56% of the Coachella Valley population was rent burdened, defined as spending more than 30% of income on rent and utilities, according to PBS SoCal's analysis of neighborhood data. None of these regional figures were drawn from the same respondents as the new LGBTQ+ quality-of-life study, but they offer context for why housing costs loom large in local conversations.
Comparable patterns have surfaced elsewhere among older LGBTQ+ populations. A community-engaged needs assessment of older LGBTQ+ adults in South Texas, published in September, identified three priority needs: LGBTQ+-affirming affordable senior housing, health justice efforts for LGBTQ+ older adults, and social programming, according to the study published in Frontiers in Public Health. That assessment, conducted in a different region, underscores that the mix of housing and health concerns raised in Palm Springs is not unique to the desert.
