Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula of Fresno is pushing to open housing year-round for migrant farmworkers.
Since 1965 the state has offered temporary housing and childcare for six months, with the option of extending it to nine. Currently 24 centers house about 7,000 farmworkers and family members each year. To qualify for housing the following year, farmworkers must move 50 miles away for at least three months.
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Arambula called that policy outdated and said it devastates the children of farmworkers by interrupting the school year. Assembly Bill 2240 would lift that cap and prohibit housing authorities from limiting the occupancy period for any farmworker housing. Four farmworker groups are sponsoring the measure.
But some farmworkers fear it could lead to less overall housing availability. One advocate who has lived in farmworker housing for more than 20 years pointed out that the facilities lack adequate heating for winter months. She urged lawmakers to instead spend those resources on workforce development programs.
