How the homelessness crisis hit one of California’s most affordable cities

The exterior of Ambassador Inn and Suites that has been converted into temporary shelters by the City of Fresno. Photograph: Andri Tambunan/The Guardian

Jesus Ramirez has spent years searching for housing he can afford in Fresno, California. He jokes that he’ll remain on the streets until he’s old enough for a retirement home.

For the last two years, the 47-year-old spent most nights sleeping in front of closed businesses in the heart of California’s Central Valley. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, he receives $950 a month in government assistance, but he hasn’t been able to find a place in his budget in Fresno, which had the greatest rent increases of any US city last year.