Resource Management Agency and House Farm Workers! publish Ventura County farmworker survey results Ventura, California -The Resource Management Agency’s (RMA) Planning Division, in partnership with House Farm Workers!, published the results of a countywide survey of agricultural employers, farmworkers, and stakeholders. This completes a major milestone in the Ventura County Farmworker Housing Study and Action Plan, highlighting the farmworker community and their housing needs. “The commitment by the… Read More
Summer 2024 Newsletter We loved seeing you at our annual fundraiser, “From Field to Fork.” This year’s event showcased our 20th anniversary and started with a compelling speech by one of our longtime board members, John Krist. John introduced the origin of HFW! and reviewed our advocacy and accomplishments over the years. In case you missed it, here… Read More
Farmworker housing faces opposition in unincorporated community north of Ventura By Dua Anjum Residents of an unincorporated Ventura County neighborhood fear a farmworker housing project will cause environmental, traffic and safety problems. Jack Dempsey used to look out at a lemon tree orchard from his backyard in Valley Vista, an unincorporated neighborhood between Ventura and Ojai. Now, he sees the land on 4884 N. Ventura… Read More
Farming needs farmworkers, and farmworkers need housing By John Krist and Linda Parks A large part of Ventura County’s charm and beauty is due to the persistence of its robust agricultural community, which cultivates a rich landscape of fields and orchards. Unlike most of urban and suburban Southern California, our cities and rural communities have distinct identities, surrounded and separated by this… Read More
Farmworker families provide insight into housing and transportation needs – Press Release Ventura County – About 80 farmworkers and their family members turned out for a recent community meeting convened to gather information about their living conditions, transportation patterns and housing needs. Hosted by the County of Ventura, in collaboration with the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) and the advocacy organization House Farm Workers! (HFW!), the Oct.… Read More
End of Year 2023 As we get ready to say goodbye to 2023 and prepare to welcome 2024, we want to share with you some of this year’s accomplishments. View the House Farm Workers! Impact Report here. Happy Birthday, Ellen Brokaw! In addition to 2023 being a huge success for House Farm Workers!our founding chairwoman also turned 90 years… Read More
End of Summer 2023 Newletter Summer, summer, summertime! We enjoyed ours, how about you? Well, if you attended the 12th annual From Field to Fork Event, we know you had some summer fun. If you weren’t able to go, here’s a little bit about the event. Attendees arrived at the beautiful Walnut Grove at Tierra Rejada Ranch, where they were… Read More
End of Spring 2023 Newsletter We have had an impressive and productive past few months, and there is much to share with you! In March, we started visiting the Ventura County Board of Supervisors individually to either introduce them to House Farm Workers! and what we do or thank them for their ongoing support of affordable housing. Our first visit… Read More
Spring 2023 Newsletter Helpful Local Year-Round Farmworker Resources 2023 started with extreme weather conditions that heavily affected our local farms and farmworkers. Some are still dealing with the loss of crops and work hours; because of this, we would like to start this newsletter by sharing a few local year-round resources: And a program that started on January… Read More
Public-private partnership to launch Ventura County farmworker housing study By John Krist— John Krist is former chief executive officer of Farm Bureau of Ventura County and a member of the HFW! Board of Directors. A unique partnership of housing advocates and local government agencies this month will launch the first phase of a landmark study of Ventura County’s farmworker community and its housing needs.… Read More