Farmworkers who have grappled to make ends meet while doing backbreaking labor to feed Bay Area communities will have a pathway to home ownership.
Santa Clara County will use a $2.2 million grant from the state’s Farmworker Housing Grant program to provide loans for mortgage assistance so low-income, first time homebuyers can purchase manufactured homes. The grant will provide qualified households with a loan of up to $200,000. It’s part of the county’s efforts to increase options for a population that has struggled with upward mobility and a shortage in housing.
There are about 3,000 farmworkers in the county, according to county officials — part of an industry that generates nearly $390 million for the local economy. Agricultural employment in Santa Clara County creates about 3,910 jobs annually, and is projected to increase by 2.6% in 2030, according to the California Employment Development Department.
“Our farmworkers deserve to have as many investments and solutions possible for them to thrive in Santa Clara County,” Board of Supervisors Vice President Sylvia Arenas, who represents South County, told San José Spotlight. “I have advocated passionately for housing solutions for our farmworkers — including championing the county’s comprehensive farmworker housing work plan. The $2.2 million secured through the Joe Serna Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program will ensure that our farmworkers have real pathways to building long-term stability for their families and ultimately becoming first-time homeowners.”
Farmworkers have faced a shortage of affordable housing, often living in overcrowded and substandard conditions, according to a county survey conducted in 2014. The county’s latest housing survey last fiscal year found the majority of respondents said they preferred to have their own home. Of the 439 people surveyed, 39% lived in their own home, 24% said they were living in a home with other families and 15% lived in shared dormitory spaces.
Annabelle, who owns a plant nursery in Gilroy and lives in a RV on a ranch, said she would like the chance to own a home.
“It would be the best thing that can happen,” she told San José Spotlight through a Spanish translator. She did not provide her last name for privacy reasons.
She’s been living in her RV for the past four years with her husband and teenage children. In the winter, they shiver through the cold nights without heat and sweat through sizzling summers with no air conditioning. Living in such tight quarters has taken a toll on her children’s mental health. She often cries wishing she could give her children a better life.
“It’s very difficult,” she said. “My kids are asking why we aren’t a normal family, why we don’t have a normal house.”
County Deputy Agricultural Commissioner Helena Roberts said the need for farmworker housing is critical.
“It’s not affordable, they need to live close to where they work, to have their needs met where they live so they can succeed,” Roberts told San José Spotlight.
The county has worked to close this gap over the years, including building Royal Oak Village in Morgan Hill, a 72-apartment affordable housing development which set aside 30 apartments for farmworkers. The Magnolias, another 65-apartment affordable development in Morgan Hill, broke ground last month. Last year, the county began a program that allowed low-income families and farmworkers to purchase manufactured homes with no down payment required.
Through Assembly Bill 3035, signed into law in 2024, the county was able to increase the maximum number of apartments in a farmworker housing development from 36 homes to 150 homes. The law also allowed the county to bypass some of the permit process. Agricultural employee housing can now be built within 15 miles of farmland instead of on it.
“Housing affordability remains one of the most pressing challenges for families across Santa Clara County, whether they’re trying to buy a home, rent an apartment, or simply stay in their current housing,” County Executive James Williams said in a statement. “That’s especially true for our agricultural workers, who do so much for our community and play such a vital role in our local economy.”
Contact Joyce Chu at [email protected] or @joyce_speaks on X.