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Click Here 42 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 30, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend October 8, 2003 Project will give migrants home 82-unit development would provide housing for workers’ families By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune Officials for the Housing Authority of Jackson County are hoping that a planned 82-unit development off Cummings Road will help trim long waiting lists for affordable housing for migrant workers. The $7.5 million project, which broke ground last week and is expected to be fully occupied by June 2004, will provide seasonal as well as permanent housing in the 5-acre community. "The problem for seasonal workers has always been, when they move out of farm labor, they have to move out of the housing," explained Betty McRoberts, housing authority director of development. "We wanted to build something that, if they moved into the plants or other jobs, they wouldn’t have to move out of their communities and take their kids out of their schools and start over." Advertisement McRoberts said the project, dubbed Lilac Meadows for the fields of lilac along Cummings Road, will be the first in the state to offer a development that will enable families to make a transition from farm labor housing into regular apartments. Twenty units will provide temporary housing for farm laborers. Another 20 units will provide permanent housing for the laborers, with varying subsidies to enable families to make ends meet during the off-season. A 42-unit complex will be available for anyone making less than 60 percent of the median area income. The overall project is being funded by 11 different sources, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Carlotta Woolcock, operations manager for the Northwest Seasonal Workers Association, said there was a definite need in the local area for quality, affordable housing. "There are six camps that offer agricultural housing � within those camps, during the harvest season, over 2,000 people are working, of which a third are likely living in the camps." The problem, Woolcock said, is that the seasonal workers living in the camps are typically single men or men who have left their families to find work. "People that do migrate or have families elsewhere are interested in better standard housing and would probably bring their families here if it were available," said Woolcock. "There are no camps left where they house women and families at all. Most people would obviously prefer not to migrate but do so because they have to." Construction of the project, developed by the Newburg-based Casa of Oregon, will be constructed by SD Deacon. McRoberts anticipated the three-phase project, which will be "top quality, beautiful apartments," complete with balconies, dishwashers and air-conditioning, could provide housing for 250 or more people. "We have about 2,000 people on our waiting list for housing, 1,400 vouchers in the community where we subsidize private rentals ... and an additional 640 units we own or manage in the Rogue Valley, all of which are full with waiting lists. I’d say there’s a definite housing need," she said. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times