"As the child of farmworkers himself, Jiménez knows what it’s like when low-wage workers have to crowd into housing. During his teenage years, he says, his family shared a three-bedroom, one-bathroom house with 21 people.
‘The fact is, we need help from the county. Because here in Half Moon Bay, the rent is really high, and we don’t earn much.’
- Vicente, farmworker
After running a local farmworker outreach program for years, Jiménez is now spearheading a project to build a farmworker co-op in Half Moon Bay where farmworkers can profit from the produce they grow.
'The idea is to help them build wealth for their family,' he says. 'We’re looking for opportunities to better the lives of our essential workers.'
On a recent visit to the future site of Stone Pine Cove, Jiménez extolled the fact that 28 of the homes will be available for purchase, using a state program of forgivable 20-year home loans geared toward agricultural workers with very low incomes.
'The farmworkers are going to get to own their modular home,' says Jiménez, who says home ownership is one more step toward stability.
The parcel sits just across a small creek from the California Terra Garden mushroom farm. When it’s developed, it will have a wildlife buffer along the creek, a walking trail and a playground for children.
Sitting on the porch of the guesthouse, Vicente says he can picture his son playing in a little park like that.
'We don’t need a fancy house,' he says. 'Just a simple house with the basics, where we can be together as a family.'"
~ Tyche Hendricks
https://www.kqed.org/news/11982817/half-moon-bay-prepares-to-break-ground-on-farmworker-housing
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