End of Summer 2023 Newletter - House Farm Workers!

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 greeted by House Farm Workers! board members and staff.

The evening opened with horse-drawn wagon tour rides of Underwood Farms, appetizers by Chef Anastashia Chavez, Hatchet Hall, Paradise Pantry, and Command Performance Catering.

Accompanied by a 2022 wine from Thacher Winery Cinsaut Rosé, Paso Robles, and craft beer from local producer Enegren Brewing Co.

Attendees heard from our host with the most, the yearly Master of Ceremonies, John Krist. Who took everyone through the evening’s activities and menu, which included local produce and grains donated by Petty Ranch, Tamai Family Farms, Underwood Family Farms, Tehachapi Grain Project, Valley Spuds, Vesta Foodservice, and Worldwide Produce.

Each course was prepared by outstanding chefs, who were organized this year by our new Chef and Menu Coordinator, Anastashia Chavez.

“House Farm Workers! has been a charity I have been thrilled and honored to support for the last decade. As a chef, we wouldn’t be anything without the ingredients we use, and at the heart of all of that is the farm workers who labor so hard to harvest these ingredients. As an industry, we are immensely indebted to them, and I am always happy to contribute to such an important organization.”
Chef Anastashia Chavez

Thank you, Anastashia, for donating so much time to making this a successful event. The food was beyond fabulous.

Swap Meet Justice

House Farm Workers! now has a quarterly spot at Swap Meet Justice. Come by our booth and say hello! In addition to sharing affordable housing resources with the community, we are also making additional connections in the farm- working community.

Swap Meet Justice was also a perfect place for HFW! and the Farm Worker Resource Program to work side by side, informing people about the Countywide Farmworker Housing Study and Action Plan.

Details and status about the multi-year project can be found on the Ventura County Farmworker Housing Study and Action Plan (vcrma.org) webpage.

This project is coordinated and funded by the County of Ventura, all ten cities within the county, and the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), and is being completed in partnership with the nonprofit House Farm Workers!.

On September 14th, House Farm Workers! held a County Wide forum about building housing for farmworkers. Panelists, Karen Flock, Kenneth Trigueiro, and Tanner Shelton talked about existing farmworker housing projects, ones in the pipeline, and what lessons they have learned from each.

On the forum’s second panel, attendees heard from Chris Stephens, Kathleen Mallory, Kenneth Trigueiro, and Lucas Zucker about funding sources, financing, development impact fees, legislation, and a potential housing bond.

The forum was jam-packed with valuable information, and in addition to knowledgeable and talented panelists, we had some pretty amazing attendees, with representation from city officials, city and county staff, funders, apartment managers, and developers.

“We provided calls for action and a message to think of farmworkers in your designs and support these projects when they go out for approval. We raised the profile of providing housing and created champions for farmworker housing.”
-Kenneth Trigueiro, HFW! Board Member, Program Committee Chair, and CEO and President of People’s Self– Help Housing

A special thank you to the House Farm Workers! Program Committee Chair Ken Trigueiro and Committee Members EllenBrokaw, Karen Flock, and Linda Braunschweiger for putting this event together!

Board Member Spotlight – Chris Stephens

We are lucky to have a heavily involved Board of Directors; as a matter of fact, let’s spotlight one of our members, Chris Stephens.

Chris Stephens retired from a 35-year career in local government. He served as the head of the County of Ventura’s Resource Management Agency from 2006 until retiring in 2019. Previously within Ventura County, he worked as the County’s Planning Director, as the Deputy Executive Director of the Ventura County Transportation Commission, and as a senior transportation planner for the City of Oxnard. He has also served on many community organizations, including the Hansen Agricultural Trust Advisory Board, the City of Ventura Visioning and Charter Committees, the Ventura County Planning Commission, the Ventura Harbor Port Commission, and the House Farm Workers! Board as our Policy Committee Chair.

Chris is the author of the HFW! Farm Worker Housing and Development Impact Fees In Ventura County Report and at the forum provided a report summarizing the study.

“Throughout their lives, my parents demonstrated a continual interest and strong support for farmworkers, and I am honored to carry on their efforts.”
-Chris Stephens

2023 Bus Tour

Our 2023 Bus Tour, will be held on December 7th. Brought to you by U.S. Bank

Thank you to U.S. Bank for supporting our work.

U.S. Bank makes“Home” possible by supporting efforts that connect individuals and families with sustainable housing opportunities.

Attendees will visit Rancho Verde, a farm worker housing site in Saticoy developed and managed by the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura. At Rancho Verde, participants will hear from residents about the positive impact affordable, safe, and stable housing has made in their lives.

The tour will then visit the Somis Ranch Farmworker Housing Project near Camarillo to view its newly constructed and in-construction units. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from agriculture and housing experts while eating a provided sack lunch in the Somis Ranch Apartments community center. The tour will end with a visit to Limoneira, a local agricultural employer, where attendees will take a tour of Limoneira’s workforce housing.

Public registration for this event will open on Nov 1st.

We look forward to seeing you there! To get on the Bus Tour email list, send your contact information to events@housefarmworkers.org

Congratulations Gabrielle Vignone

We would like to end this newsletter by congratulating the House Farm Workers!, Executive Director Gabrielle Vignone on being selected as CSUCI’s Distinguished Alumni. Gabrielle will receive her award at the President’s Dinner on October 28th. For more information, visit: President’s Dinner – CSU Channel Islands (csuci.edu)

Community Corner

Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation is hosting a groundbreaking for Dolores Huerta Gardens, October 4, 2023.

The Agricultural Tech Fair will provide a unique platform for industry professionals, farmers, researchers, and technology enthusiasts to connect, collaborate, and exchange ideas. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore cutting-edge technologies, witness live demonstrations, earn CEUs, and engage in discussions with leading experts. By participating as a sponsor/ exhibitor, your organization will gain valuable exposure to a diverse audience of influential individuals and organizations in the agricultural community. For more information contact: Maureen@farmbureauvc.com or call 805.289.0155.

People’s Self Help Housing introduced their new quarterly publication about, “Why build, where to build, and who to build for arouses fierce debate and throws into thorny relief the complex issues surrounding the challenge of addressing the housing crisis.”

House Opportunities Made Easier is having its annual conference on October 18th; for information on sponsoring, donating, or getting tickets, please visit www.vchome.org/2023-conference. Or contact Karen Fraser, Executive Director, at info@vchome.org or 805-323-6534.

HOME is also conducting an online Housing Survey The survey is available in both English and Spanish. And can be viewed by clicking the links: Survey Link – English or Survey Link – Spanish.

Check out Ventura County Housing Coalition (VCHC) on Instagram. VCHC is comprised of community organizations that united in support of affordable housing developments, programs and policies to propel healthy, thriving, and inclusive communities in the region. The Coalition emerged to create a countywide space/network where coalition members could share learnings and information, advocate for prohousing policies, and promote community engagement to inform and increase awareness of housing challenges and solutions.

Donations

Our work is possible because of our amazing volunteers and donors:

Donate online at:

Donate

Use the PayPal app by scanning our QR code. Or mail a donation to:

House Farm Workers!
P.O. Box 402
Santa Paula, CA 93061

If you are new to HFW! and are looking for a way to get involved, we have listed a few options below.

Want to join one of our City Group Committees? These committees have room for new members:

Oxnard House Farm Workers! Committee

Second Wednesday of the month at 9 a.m. in-person

Ventura House Farm Workers! Committee

Third Tuesday at 4 p.m. via Zoom

Fillmore & Piru Task Force

First Wednesday at 7 p.m. via Zoom

Email events@housefarmworkers.org to be added to the mailing list.

Feeling generous?

Gift Donations: Don’t know what to get your loved ones this year? Donate in their name: https://housefarmworkers.org/donate/

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