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The Puente organization has worked for years to provide housing opportunities to farmers, and as part of their work they have acquired a ranch that allows them to promote the dream of offering decent housing for those who need it most.
Puente is a nonprofit organization that supports the South Coast of San Mateo County, fostering well-being and prosperity in communities by promoting and advocating for equitable access to education, health, and economic security.
Rita Mancera, from the Puente organization, said she is happy to share the news of the acquisition of a piece of land that will serve to support families in their basic needs such as housing, as she said during the radio program Por la Libre with Manuel Ortiz.
"There is a lot of work involved and we have been looking for this opportunity for about two years, and when the ranch was put up for sale, we immediately saw the opportunity to get one of our housing projects going," he said.
Puente has a strategic plan, and the goal they set for 2024 and 2025 was to get involved in finding housing solutions specifically for farmers but also for low-income people.
This is the first project that has been launched and they are very excited about the opportunity.
Elvia Aguilar is a tenant of this project. For her, having this space to live in is a great support and she says that she has received a lot of support from the association.
"I like to talk about Pescadero as a space of contrast because there are many things that are not there, but there are many things that are its strengths, those are in the people, in how they have organized themselves, how they raise their voices," he stressed.
Currently there are no accessible medical services, there is no clinic, but Puente offers two spaces where San Mateo County health services go to Pescadero and operate as a clinic on Thursdays, however it is not enough.
Mancera said that, according to a study conducted by San Mateo County in 2016, approximately 1,200 housing units are needed for farmers, so he says that this project is very small, but valuable for the community.
"This is a plot of land with two lots, one of which already has six family homes and four shared rooms, giving 28 people the opportunity to live in this place," he added.
Finally, everyone was invited to attend a fundraising dinner that will be held on October 11th from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. All funds raised will go towards making the necessary repairs to the homes.
To collaborate and be part of this project, you can contact the Puente organization at (650) 879-1691 or on the website https://mypuente.org/whoweare/
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