Farmworker Housing Program Excludes Many Agricultural Workers

A workforce housing program administered by the Department of Agriculture fails to reach farmworkers who need it most, reports Rae Solomon of KUNC and Harvest Public Media.

This is because the USDA Off-Farm Labor Housing Program includes household income caps based on area median income (AMI), which often disqualifies farm workers. According to researcher Richard Stup, “Farm wages have been going up faster than non-farm wages.” Meanwhile, units reserved for farm workers sit empty while workers struggle to find other housing they can afford, particularly in rural areas with limited housing stock.

Marty Miller, executive director of the Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing in Washington state, “says ag workers in other states - like Washington, Oregon, California and Texas - have the same problem. He hopes the federal government will adjust the income rules so housing remains available for the ag workers who so desperately need it.”