Soledad’s Farm Worker Families To Benefit From Grant

A new grant will help provide affordable housing to farm workers and their families in south Monterey County.

Rep. Sam Farr announced Tuesday that NeighborWorks America awarded South County Housing, a nonprofit community development corporation and member of the national NeighborWorks network, $215,500 in grants.

The funds will be invested in Soledad to upgrade the Camphora site by renovating 44 Camphora units and building a new community center to provide recreation, storage, and a computer lab. The project will also connect Camphora with Soledad’s sewer service, replacing a failing septic system.

South County Housing purchased the Camphora site in partnership with Monterey County for $1.5 million in 2010, in an effort to renovate the site.

The site was originally built in the 1960s to provide housing for male farm workers.

NeighborWorks America was founded by Congress in 1978 to provide grants to support local NeighborWorks member organizations like South County Housing.