County officials are vying for a $1 million grant to pay for
major renovations of the living quarters at the Southside Road
labor camp.
County officials are vying for a $1 million grant to pay for major renovations of the living quarters at the Southside Road labor camp.
With the approval of the Board of Supervisors, the county’s department of Community Services and Workforce Develop-ment is applying for the Joe Serna Jr. Farm Worker Housing Grant, which was created through the approval of Proposition 46 last November, CSWD Director Kathy Flores said.
“I believe we do have a good chance of receiving this grant,” Flores said.
Currently, the labor camp is permitted to house 144 seasonal workers, but can handle as many as 244 workers overall.
The grant funds can only be used for the construction and rehabilitation of housing for agricultural workers.
“Housing is a huge need in this county, and farm-worker housing that is safe and reliable is a large issue all of its own,” Flores said. “This last grant will allow us to complete the work at the camp.”
In 2000, the county set out to begin a multi-year rehabilitation of the unaccompanied section of the county’s Southside Road Migrant Labor Camp.
However, actual construction did not begin until early 2002.
The renovations are intended to bring the living facilities at the labor camp up to current codes and housing standards. The project is being worked on in five phases as funding is made available through state and federal grants.
