Federal affordable housing program for agricultural workers falls short in Colorado

What this episode covers

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: The tight housing market means many people struggle to find an affordable place to live, and that includes farmworkers. So the U.S. Department of Agriculture funds a national network of workforce housing, which sounds good. But, as Rae Solomon of KUNC and Harvest Public Media reports, the federal government blocks many farmworkers from using it. RAE SOLOMON, BYLINE: A tidy apartment complex sits on the industrial edge of rural Fort Morgan, Colo. There are solar panels on the roof, a couple of playgrounds for the kids and a sign out front welcoming you to Sol Naciente, an agricultural labor housing community. Seems like the perfect place for meatpacker Abdoul Aziz Diallo, who's originally from the West African country of Mauritania. ABDOUL AZIZ DIALLO: (Speaking French). SOLOMON: Diallo says, he's been looking for a place to live since he moved to the area last spring. But when he approached Sol Naciente about an open unit, they said he might be an ag worker, but he couldn't live there because at $23 an hour, his income was too high. He says, apart from Sol Naciente, housing here is in short supply and very, very expensive. And according to Arturo Alvarado, who heads the nonprofit that manages Sol Naciente, Diallo's experience is common. ARTURO ALVARADO: We're finding, in the Fort Morgan area, a lot of the agriculture workers are making over the income that qualifies to live in the properties. SOLOMON: Sol Naciente is part of the USDA's Off-Farm Labor Housing Program that funds affordable rentals for very low- to moderate-income ag workers. That means the federal government dictates who can live there. Tenants have to work in agriculture. They need documentation, and there are strict caps on household income based on the area's median income, or AMI. At Sol Naciente, the cap is about $37,000 a year for one person. Alvarado says in practice, those restrictions disqualify most of the local ag workforce the program is designed to help. ALVARADO: The income restrictions are making it hard for us to fill all the units. SOLOMON: That's because the AMI-linked income restrictions have not kept pace with ag worker earnings. Richard Stup is an agricultural workforce specialist at Cornell University. RICHARD STUP: We're definitely seeing an upward trend. Farm wages have been going up faster than non-farm wages. SOLOMON: He says that trend is likely to continue, meaning more and more ag workers will lose eligibility for housing. The USDA did not respond to questions, but officials at other Off-Farm Labor Housing properties in Colorado and Minnesota say they can't find enough qualifying tenants for their vacancies. Marty Miller is executive director of the Washington state nonprofit Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing. MARTY MILLER: When we're in the middle of a housing crisis, people can't afford places to live, there can be good-quality available units, but they have a hard time finding someone eligible to live there. SOLOMON: He says ag workers in other states - like Washington, Oregon, California and Texas - have the same problem. He hopes the federal government will adjust the income rules so housing remains available for the ag workers who so desperately need it. Instead, last fall, the ag department gave Sol Naciente a waiver to accept non-farmworker tenants who do meet the income restrictions. That solved their vacancy problem, but it didn't help ag worker Abdoul Diallo, who never found a home in Fort Morgan. For months, he bounced around, staying with acquaintances and friends of friends. DIALLO: (Speaking French). SOLOMON: He says it's been too stressful, so he's leaving Fort Morgan, quitting the agriculture workforce for a restaurant job in Denver. It won't pay as well as the meatpacking gig, but at least he'll be able to find a home in the city. For NPR News, I'm Rae Solomon in Fort Morgan. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.