Limited housing options leave Stanislaus County residents in substandard living conditions

During the pandemic, Desiree Ransom and her then-4-year-old son woke up each morning with sore throats, stuffy noses and a persistent cough. The reason: black mold in their Modesto duplex.

After a year of unanswered complaints, her landlord finally addressed the mold issue. Her rent was then raised by $250, forcing her to move out.

“I was never late on rent, [and the landlord] never had any complaints about me or from me until I found the mold,” Ransom, 36, said.

In fall 2019, the Modesto City Council approved Ordinance 3703, establishing the Rental Housing Safety Program across the city. It mandates regular inspections of all residential rental units to uphold maintenance standards and safeguard tenants’ quality of life. As part of the program, up to 10% of rental units undergo an annual audit.

In Modesto and across Stanislaus County, rental housing is an issue not just in quantity but quality. Habitability — everything from mold to electrical and plumbing problems — and discrimination remain persistent problems.

Data from the city reveals that since the Rental Housing Safety Program launched in September, about 46% of the 192 inspected units have violations. Around 12% of these violations have been rectified.

Since 2021, Project Sentinel, a local program offering education and counseling on fair housing laws, has fielded 136 complaints in Stanislaus County. Nearly half of these complaints relate to disability discrimination, with instances of sex and income discrimination also on the rise in the past few years, said Elizabeth Sanchez, fair housing director at Project Sentinel.

What’s behind the increase? In 2020, California broadened its anti-discrimination laws with the passage of SB 329, including support for Section 8 voucher holders. The first few years saw a learning period for tenants and housing providers given the new protections, which may have led to more complaints, said Sanchez.

She also saw an increase in domestic violence complaints during the pandemic, possibly due to lockdown orders.

Sanchez added that around 75% of Project Sentinel’s cases have yielded positive outcomes. These include educational interventions, successful negotiations with landlords or accommodations for tenants with disabilities.

“If housing providers are informed, hopefully they are going to do the right thing,” she said.

Rather than fix problem, landlord boots tenant

When Summer Barker, 37, informed her landlord about the severe mold infestation in her Modesto duplex, stemming from faulty pipes and a lack of property maintenance, her pleas went unanswered. She had been feeling sick for about six years before she discovered the mold last year and finally made the connection.

Her health deteriorated. She had breathing difficulties, daily migraines and chronic fatigue, leading to frequent hospital visits and an inability to work. In 2022, she said she was mostly bedridden.

Barker later paid for a mold test, which confirmed the presence of unlivable levels of toxic black mold in her home. The city also wrote a citation for her property manager to address the mold. When she approached her landlord again, she was told they could not afford to address the issue and gave her a 60-day notice to vacate the premises.

Barker ended up living in her car for almost a week until finding a family member who had some space for her to stay.

“No one [at the property management company] seemed to care,” Barker said.

Fear of eviction keeps many tenants silent

In instances where landlords are failing to maintain the property up to code, individuals within vulnerable communities, such as undocumented and low-income individuals, may hesitate to request maintenance.

Sanchez said a prevalent fear among tenants is that lodging complaints could result in eviction, leading many to endure substandard living conditions rather than risk potential repercussions. She said it’s important that Project Sentinel ensures its clients stay housed and know their rights.

Recent updates to the Fair Employment and Housing Act aim to provide clearer directives, outlining that any adverse actions taken by housing providers, such as neglecting habitability issues, which could jeopardize a tenant’s housing vouchers, can lead to legal repercussions, said Carole Conn, Executive Director of Project Sentinel.

Solutions

Aside from building more affordable housing, there are other avenues to tackle the shortage of livable homes.

One such solution is the expansion of “accessory dwelling units” (ADUs), sometimes called granny flats or in-law quarters.

The city of Sacramento defines an ADU as “a permanent dwelling unit that may share at least one wall with the primary residence (attached) or be a stand-alone structure (detached) from the primary residence. ADUs provide permanent facilities for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation.”

California took significant steps in 2021 by lifting various constraints on ADU construction and implementing measures aimed at incentivizing their development. ADUs, which are compact units, have shorter construction timelines compared to traditional housing options.

In January 2021, Stanislaus County supervisors eased restrictions on extra dwellings that can be placed on residential and agricultural parcels in unincorporated areas.

At the core of addressing housing disparities is education for both tenants and landlords.

“It’s important for everybody to be educated about housing,” said Conn. “It’s just too critical of a basic need.”