SKAGIT COUNTY (Washington) HERALD

October 7, 2009

Community forum to address farmworker-housing shortage

by Whitney Pipkin

The Washington State Farmworker Housing Trust, a nonprofit uniting agricultural workers and advocates, will host a community forum Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the farmworker-housing problem revealed in a recent survey.

The largest direct poll of Washington farmworkers in state history showed that about half of the farmworkers in the state plan to leave agriculture in a year or are not sure how long they will stay in the field due to insufficient housing.

The meeting in the multipurpose room of Skagit Valley College, 2405 E. College Way, in Mount Vernon will enable farmworkers and advocates to discuss how to meet the need for housing.

Results from a survey of Skagit County’s farmworkers, including information on household composition, income and housing conditions, will be released at the meeting.

According to the survey, Skagit farmers and farmworkers contribute an estimated $719 million annually to the local economy, but many still live in substandard or unaffordable housing.