Summary
The mission of the Women’s Legacy Fund is to be a catalyst for philanthropy that improves the lives of women and girls in San Luis Obispo County. A committee of the Women’s Legacy Fund worked with a consultant to complete a thorough review of current data sources.
The authors hope to increase public awareness of the needs of women and girls in San Luis Obispo (SLO) County, educate community leaders, stakeholders and nonprofit organizations about the current status of women and girls in SLO County, and inform grantmaking decisions by the Women’s Legacy Fund.
This 2024 update includes a new focus on the top three needs of women and girls locally: access to affordable housing (and related economics and cost of living); child care; and health care, including mental health. The committee identified these based on a review of recent data and interviews with a cross-section of community leaders. These were also significant areas of need in the last update, four years ago. While the COVID-19 pandemic created and exacerbated many needs, this report is focused on the most current, post-pandemic issues for women and girls. These issues are also enduring needs that have been challenging for many years.
The report uses 2011–2012 and 2021–2022 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) data.
