Through a contract with the USDA's Rural Housing Service, and a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, NCALL offers a full range of rural and farm labor housing development technical assistance to nonprofit organizations in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The purpose of the technical assistance is to develop housing that will serve migrant and seasonal farmworkers and other rural residents specifically through Section 514/516 Farm Labor Housing and other programs available to rural and agricultural areas. Training is provided to the Board of Directors and staff of nonprofit sponsors while NCALL assists the sponsors through the entire development process from securing land, doing a market analysis, local approvals, packaging the financing applications, through to rent-up or sale. This effort recognizes that farmworkers and rural residents face significant barriers to accessing decent, affordable housing, often having to resort to camp settings or inhabiting substandard and overcrowded housing stock.

Through the above assistance, NCALL has helped to develop model multi-family rental housing projects serving local and migrant farmworkers in Delaware and Maryland, and Virginia's first has just been completed. "Leonard Apartments" near Salisbury, Maryland, "Elizabeth's Landing" in Bridgeville, Delaware, and "William Hughes Apartments" in Eastville, Virginia are 34 unit apartment complexes owned by Delmarva Rural Ministries that serve both local and migrant farm laborers. These successful and attractive apartment communities demonstrate how decent, affordable housing benefits the interests of workers, the agricultural industry, and the community as a whole.

Area of Availability:

Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia

Eligibility Requirements

In order to receive NCALL's technical assistance, a sponsor must be a nonprofit organization with the provision of affordable housing for farmworkers and rural residents as one of its goals. Nonprofits must be able to meet the specific eligibility criteria for the financing that will be utilized.

Copyright ©2002 NCALL Research, Inc.