16 Million Grant Awarded To Housing Coalition For Migrant Farm Worker Housing



June 15, 2005 -- Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC) has received a $1.6 million grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to build Las Mananitas III, a rental housing complex for seasonal and migrant farm workers in Mecca.

The project will consist of town home styled housing containing 11 units, 44 rooms and 88 beds located in three buildings around common open space. Each unit, to be constructed of wood frame, stucco walls and tiled roofs, will contain four bedrooms with two occupants in each. The four rooms in each unit surround a common living room and dining area; each is equipped with a refrigerator, dishwasher, stove, oven, garbage disposal and heating/air conditioning.

The 3.8 acre Las Mananitas III will incorporate an on-site medical clinic, management office, laundry facilities, public telephones, open grass areas, barbeque grills and picnic tables and is within one mile to a library, parks and recreational centers, public transportation and a school. The immediate neighborhood is zoned for single family, multi-family and agricultural uses.

"Mecca has the highest concentration of agricultural farm workers in southern California," explained John Mealey, CVHC executive director. "The need for affordable housing for seasonal farm workers is at crisis level during harvest when rental vacancies are severely lacking. We will be able to continue making a difference in some of those workers lives with safe, affordable housing as a result of this partnership and funding from Housing and Community Development," he added.

$1.6 M funded for migrant farm worker housing in Mecca
Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC) is an award-winning non-profit housing development corporation dedicated to helping low and very low income families improve their living conditions through advocacy, research, construction and operation of housing and community development projects. Since 1982, CVHC has constructed more than 2500 homes and apartments for low income households in Riverside County. In addition, CVHC has developed childcare centers, after school programs, and two medical clinics. It operates various services for its tenants and others including English as a Second Language and Citizenship classes, computer training, music, art and recreational programs. Information: (760) 347-3157, www.cvhc.org.

The Department of Housing and Community Development is one of 16 departments within the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency (BTH). As California's principal housing agency, the mission of HCD is to provide leadership, policies and programs to expand and preserve safe and affordable housing opportunities and promote strong communities for all Californians.

HCD administers more than 20 programs that award loans and grants for the construction, acquisition, rehabilitation and preservation of affordable rental and ownership housing, homeless shelters and transitional housing, public facilities and infrastructure, and the development of jobs for lower income workers. Information: http://www.hcd.ca.gov/.





16 Million Grant Awarded To Housing Coalition For Migrant Farm Worker Housing