Stockton ranked worst city for renters in new study as more housing is unveiled

STOCKTON — In a new study by RentCafe, Stockton was ranked the worst city for renters in Northern California based on living costs, housing opportunities, and quality of life.

So what are officials doing about this?

One project that aims to help: 40 newly renovated studio apartments in Stockton on Wilson Way. They are open to those who really need it, like Heather Long.

"It's not stability like everybody else, but its stability for the homeless. That's what we have," she said.

Long was homeless, in and out of prison but is now trying to make change for herself.

"I've been homeless off and on for a very long time," Long said. "You can't have a house you have to have a home."

She is one of many applicants to Town Center Studios, which was built for the homeless and low-income families.

"Let's get more of this going like they did for me," she said.

"All told between acquiring the property, renovations and building a reserve, [it cost] $8.2 million which is $210,000 a door," said Jon Mendelson. "Given what it takes to build in the state of California, that's actually incredibly cheap."

Mendelson is the executive director for Central Valley Low Income Housing Incorporated. He said that the need for housing as many people as possible in Stockton is a priority, including those with no place to go.

"This is housing reserved for the most vulnerable people in our communities," Mendelson said. "It's extremely difficult for people with stable incomes to afford the rent. For people with extremely low income and who are homeless, it's even more difficult."

The study found Stockton was ranked the fourth worst place to rent in California.

"We tend to strain the housing market, so it's not surprising to see a higher rent to income than in other places," Carrie Wright said over the phone.

Wright is the director of Stockton's Economic Development Department. She said that more projects like the Town Center Studios project are needed.

"We have a team working on housing every day, supporting a pipeline of housing, affordable housing in the city," she said.

On Friday, the city of Stockton will have another ribbon cutting on Miner Street downtown, where 72 affordable housing units will become available.