Peoples' Self-Help Housing

Farm workers find it a bit easier to get by

12/29/04| By June Rich| News-Press Correspondent

The Hernandez Family in their Los Adobes de Maria home

When Valentin and Maria Hernandez lived in a garage, they certainly didn't like getting out of bed when the owner needed to move his car.

Yet, that wasn't the worst of it for the couple, who support three children, Susana, 11, Clarissa, 10, and Valentin, 8, on Mr. Hernandez's on-again, off-again income as an irrigator in the county's farm fields.

The worst thing was feeling like they were always in someone else's space -- when they went inside to cook or to go to the bathroom, or when the owner wet down the lawn with his hose to let the kids know he didn't want them playing outside anymore. Luckily, the family only had to live that way for several months before landing a place in Los Adobes De Maria, one of the county's only apartment complexes exclusively for farm workers.

"I feel I have my liberty here," Mrs. Hernandez said through a translator.

Peoples' Self-Help Housing built the 117 townhouse-style apartments during the past seven years, finishing the last phase a month ago.

Though the organization has apartments dedicated to farm workers throughout its other low-income projects, and close to 600 people have built their own homes through its "sweat equity" program, Los Adobes is unique in being exclusively a farm-worker facility.

Los Adobes has a preschool, a learning center with a library and computers, a medical facility and a soccer field.

Having these services on site is critical for this population, often too poor or too intimidated by the English language barrier to seek them elsewhere. Many families also don't have adequate transportation to get to parks or clinics, or similar amenities.

Though getting in at Los Adobes is a financial break of the best kind, families there still struggle to get by.

Salvador and Beatrice Miranda also lived in a garage before finding Los Adobes. The garage cost them $400 per month. Now, they pay $308 for a three-bedroom apartment, which houses the couple and their three kids, Eric, 12, Salvador, 7, and Karen, 3.

However, some things never change. Meat is still a luxury; they mostly eat beans and rice.

And this Christmas, with Salvador between jobs picking strawberries or grapes, there was no Christmas tree, no presents.

"Things are better now, yes. But we still struggle. We wanted to buy them presents," Mrs. Miranda said through a translator. "But we're unemployed."

That's the case for many of the county's thousands of agricultural workers. The manager at Los Adobes, Elvia Garcia, sees it every day.

Recently, Ms. Garcia held a tenant meeting to gauge interest in a Christmas potluck. Many liked the idea but said they couldn't afford to bring a group dish.

"These are people who survive by the day, as opposed to the week," said Jeanette Duncan, executive director of Peoples' Self-Help.

Mrs. Duncan said she recently toured Los Adobes with Larry Lavagnino, the mayor of Santa Maria. They saw eight people sharing half a chicken. "He couldn't believe it. He sent a check for $200," Mrs. Duncan said of the mayor, noting such a sight is common. Mrs. Duncan said her board of directors approved funding $100 gift certificates for groceries for many of those in need. But that amount doesn't cover everybody, nor does $100 go very far when people are out of work for weeks at a time during the rainy season.

"We're hoping whatever additional funding we get we can spread through needs for food, emergency medical needs and clothes," Mrs. Duncan said. "We've had a lot of requests for clothes. It's going to be very tight."