04/24/07 Money For Housing

Money for Housing. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Producers that are interested in building or improving farm worker housing can apply for matching dollars from the Department of Community Trade and Economic Development. Pat Arnold is CTED's Housing Specialist. ARNOLD: What we do is lend money to growers to help them to build on farm migrant housing. Not year-round housing but migrant housing. And we lend money for the infrastructure part of that meaning septic, drinking water, road access, site prep, getting electricity to the site because a lot of these sites are kind of remote. Arnold says the loan is a 15 year program that does not require repayment as long as the housing is kept licensed and used as temporary housing. ARNOLD: The growers still end up with a substantial expense to get this housing built because they have to pay for the housing part of it and we can only pay a maximum of 50% of the project. So if you can get matching money why aren't more producers building temporary housing? ARNOLD: These are expensive and this is why there isn't more of this kind of housing because it's really a financial commitment to build it and oddly enough growers can get financing for equipment they need like tractors and things from lenders but it's very difficult to get financing to build housing without putting it on your deed. For more information you can email Pat Arnold at PatriciaA@cted.wa.gov. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.