The plans of the San Mateo County to expand housing for farmworkers, including units for those displaced by the tragic mass shooting in January, received a substantial boost Thursday when the state of California announced a $5 million grant.
The Joe Serna, Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant will allow the County Housing Department to partner with the City of Half Moon Bay on the purchase of 28 units of manufactured housing.
The county noted that eighteen homes will be prioritized for farmworkers and families displaced by the shootings at two coastal farms in Half Moon Bay.
While 10 of those homes will be available to farmworkers earning up to 80 percent of area median income, with a focus on extremely low-income households and those displaced due to uninhabitable living conditions.
Supervisor Ray Mueller, whose District 3 includes Half Moon Bay and the unincorporated coast, thanked state officials and county staff who helped secure the grant, saying "we're just getting started."
The Board of Supervisors approved the grant application in February, and Mueller said they "achieved the impossible" securing it in such a short time after he and county staff met with the state.
“Our farm and ranch workers play an essential role in the San Mateo County community and economy,” said Iliana Rodríguez, assistant county executive who led the grant effort. "We are happy that the state and the governor are supporting the work we have been doing to provide housing stability for farmworkers in our county."
Earlier in May of this year, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors appropriated $1 million to cover necessary planning, project management, and other work costs to build affordable housing for local farmworkers, income tax fund local Measure K half-cent sales.
The County is currently working with the City of Half Moon Bay to identify and develop a potential site that could house manufactured units for low-income farmworker homes.
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