Organization Focused On Safe Housing Arrangements for Farm Workers

As fresh produce from around the Northwest trickles into area grocery stores, one Oregon –based organization it’s more focused on the living conditions for field workers.  Since 1994, the Farmworker Housing Development Corporation, or FHDC, has been developing housing for farmworkers and their families.  FHDC Executive Director Roberto Jimenez says the organization came up with the first alternative to labor camps on farms, which are sometimes in good condition.

"And there are some that are in deplorable condition, pretty inhumane conditions that we've seen far too often," Jimenez said

FHDC's primary source of funding is the low-income housing tax credit.  The credit is applicable to housing for seasonal workers who, on average, make wages well below the poverty line.  But Jimenez says there have been challenges to the credit's application

"The IRS said they had a change in policy and the low-income housing tax credit was no longer allowable for farmworker housing," Jimenez said.  "When we asked them why, they said that was because it discriminated against non-farmworkers."

While OSHA must license farmworker labor camps and has registered about 300 camps in Oregon, Jimenez says there are at least another 300 unregistered camps.  Recent estimates show there are 90,000 farmworkers, a number that does not include workers' families.

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