Survey documents farmworker crowding, transportation issues

By ROB BURGESS The Daily Journal

Crowding, housing and transportation problems were just some of the issues local farmworkers brought up in a recent survey presented to the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors.

On Tuesday, the Mendocino County Planning Team issued the report to the board detailing the demand for farmworker housing and transportation in the county.

When compared with the crowding rates for the general population, the study found that farmworkers were 15 times more likely to live in crowded conditions and a little over seven times more likely to live in extremely crowded conditions.

The survey was nearly a year in the making. On June 5, 2007, the board authorized the survey and on Oct. 2, 2007, the board authorized a successful application to the Caltrans Agricultural Workers Transportation Grant Program to partially fund it.

In the presentation given by Ron Strochlic, a principal from California Institute of Rural Studies, the study showed that of the 4,163 farmworkers in the county in 2006, half worked for less than three months, 16 percent were on the job for three to six months and 34 percent were employed for seven months or more.

The study showed the overwhelming majority of workers, 90 percent, were permanent residents of the county, with only 3 percent of the remaining following the crop.

The survey found that just over one-third of county farmworkers were accompanied by a spouse and/or children, with 28 percent including children under 18, and 46 percent with three or more children. The study found that 68 percent of those children lived with their parents only, 15 percent lived with unrelated adults, and 17 percent resided with parents and unrelated adults.

Just over half, 54 percent, of the farmworkers who were questioned reported that they rented, while nearly all of the rest, 43 percent, said they were provided housing by their employer. Only 2.6 percent said that they owned their own house.

Crowded living conditions were reported by the majority, 51 percent, of county farmworkers. Crowded living conditions were defined as more than one person per room. The average number of residents per room was 1.25. Nearly a quarter of those who answered, 23 percent, reported living in severely crowded living conditions, where more than 1.5 people were said to be living in a single room.

Problems like excessive noise, lack of privacy, challenges getting repairs and inability to pay rent due to housemates being unable to pay their share caused 21 percent of farmworkers questioned for the survey to report that they had problems with their housing.

Financial constraints caused 23 percent of respondents with children and 14 percent without children to report spending less on food and/or health care to pay for housing.

On the transportation side, the mean transportation costs were $40 per week. Almost half, 47 percent, reported owning their own car, and 39 percent rode to work with others.

Conclusions drawn from the report included a need for the addition of farmworker housing, labor camps, RV parks and increased farmworker transportation options.