California’s Hired Farm Workers Move to the Cities:
The Outsourcing of Responsibility for Farm Labor Housing
A special, in-depth CRLA Rural Justice Report by farm labor expert Don Villarejo, Ph.D., discusses the recent increase of farmworkers living in urban centers and relying on unsubsidized, private-market, off-farm housing. The location of their homes has in some ways changed; however, housing conditions have not, and remain a serious health and safety concern for this vulnerable population. This is a major cost shift in housing responsibility from the farmer to the workers, who already confront the disadvantages of substandard housing, low wages, exploitative working conditions, and lack of access to quality education, healthcare, and other essential services.
