Section 514/516 is the only federal program that provides affordable loans and grants to purchase, construct, or repair housing for America’s farmworkers. Funds may also be used to install necessary facilities, including water and waste disposal systems.
Agriculture is a driving force of the U.S. rural economy, and its sustainability depends on a steady supply of farmworkers. Without the assistance of Section 514/516 Farm Labor Housing, many farms are unable to attract the labor they need to be successful.
Farmworkers have the worst housing needs of all rural people. More than 60 percent of the 3 million farmworkers in the U.S live in poverty−a rate 5 times the national average. As such, farmworkers must overcome powerful barriers to decent housing, forcing many to live in substandard, crowded conditions.
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