The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded $6.5 million in National Farmworker Jobs Program Housing Services Grants to assist seven organizations across eight states in providing housing solutions for migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents.
These grants aim to address the substandard living conditions faced by many farmworkers, who are vital to the agricultural sector but often live in poverty without basic amenities. The funds will support both temporary and permanent housing services, with at least 70 percent allocated for permanent housing.
The grants are part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and are administered by the Employment and Training Administration. They seek to provide affordable, safe, and sanitary housing options that meet the immediate needs of eligible farmworkers and their families.
The recipients of these grants include:
- Alabama Non-Profit Housing Inc., Oneonta, AL: $652,948
- PPEP Microbusiness & Housing Development Corp., Tucson, AZ: $990,187
- La Cooperativa Campesina de California, Sacramento, CA: $816,081
- Florida Non-Profit Housing Inc., Sebring, FL: $1,305,896
- Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Lansing, MI: $1,305,896
- PathStone Corp., Rochester, NY: $732,514
- Motivation Education & Training Inc., New Caney TX: $696,478
Total awarded funds amount to $6.5 million.