Title
Approve and authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to sign an agreement with the City of Salinas, agreeing to County contribution of a maximum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) to pay a consultant to conduct a Regional Farmworker Housing Needs Study and to develop an Action Plan to address farmworker housing needs.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Approve and authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors sign to an agreement with the City of Salinas, agreeing to County contribution of a maximum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) to pay a consultant to conduct a Regional Farmworker Housing Needs Study and to develop an Action Plan to address farmworker housing needs.
SUMMARY:
The City of Salinas is required by its Housing Element to complete a Regional Farmworker Housing Study and Action Plan. Because the Study and resulting Action Plan will address regional needs for farmworker housing, the City of Salinas has invited other jurisdictions in the region to collaborate on the Study and Action Plan. The recommended action will confirm the County's participation in the preparation of the Study and Action Plan.
DISCUSSION:
Providing affordable, safe and sanitary housing for farmworkers has long been an issue in the Pajaro and Salinas Valleys. The proposed Study will quantify the types of housing that are needed by this population, where housing should be located, and will identify how to address these housing needs. Preparation of the Study will entail surveying a broad spectrum of seasonal and year round farmworkers to determine household sizes, household composition (e.g. married couples, are children present, etc.), income levels, and whether farmworkers are migrants following opportunities, are employed year round, or remain in the area during their "off" season. The Study will also survey employers to determine how they perceive the farmworker housing problem in terms of their ability ...
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