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Oregon Housing and Community Services

Agricultural Workforce Housing Facilitation Team Meeting: Nov. 13, 2025

The Agriculture Workforce Housing Facilitation Team (AWHFT) meets regularly to discuss farmworker housing, resources for farmworker housing, and how to address the needs of farmworkers in Oregon.

Meeting Agenda: November 13, 2025

  1. Welcome and grounding
  2. Current conditions: Fear, enforcement, and worker safety
  3. Status check: August action items
  4. Cross-agency coordination and messaging
  5. Standing items
  6. Farmworker data and labor trends

Welcome and grounding

  • Introductions
  • Acknowledgment of current climate of increased enforcement and community fear
  • Framing the meeting as a space for coordination, support, and realism

Current Conditions: Fear, Enforcement, and Worker Safety

  • Construction companies are aware of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and are sending workers home early when ICE trucks are seen, regardless of documentation status. This is expected to affect the housing industry.
  • Drones have been seen in some areas, prompting interest in forming neighborhood watch groups to be proactive.
  • The City of Hillsboro has set aside funds to help individuals with living expenses in these situations.
  • There is a strong desire from community members to hear directly from farmworkers and unite during this time.
  • Reports of ICE activity have been confirmed in multiple counties across Oregon.
  • A suggestion was made to explore whether Federal Medical Leave Act (FMLA) could be expanded to include this situation as part of emergency assistance.
  • Fruit growers are stepping in to handle nonessential errands for employees who are afraid to go out into the community.

Status check: August action items

Items Reviewed:
  • OHCS website Know Your Rights (KYR) Resources – Discussed status and limitations
  • AWHTC Regional Outreach – Not yet initiated
  • Economic Impact Analysis – Initial conversations have begun but data gaps remain

Discussion: What’s feasible to move forward?

Cross-Agency Coordination and Messaging

  • Aligning public messaging to reduce fear and misinformation.
  • Exploring opportunities for joint outreach or public statements.
  • Identifying support needs for partners and staff.

Standing items

Updated barriers / issues log

Policy and regulatory updates
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): Oregon OSHA will address Senate Bill 537 and House Bill 2024 (health care employee safety) in upcoming rulemaking.  Subscribe for email updates.
  • Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI): No new updates on farmworker outreach. Plans are in place to develop bilingual materials and focus on immigrant rights.
  • OHCS: Expressed interest in using AWHFT in community-based projects. 

Funding and program notes

  • Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA): Wrapping up the AG Workforce Housing Grant Program. Also engaged in a rulemaking process for the Umatilla groundwater basin, requiring farmers to take actions to reduce nitrates in water. This rulemaking is currently open for public comment.
  • Oregon Human Development Corporation (OHDC): Conducting health and safety trainings for farmworkers. Currently offering virtual trainings and in-office sessions rather than field-based ones. Interested in collaborating with BOLI and OSHA to expand training efforts.

Parking lot and follow up: Interest in exploring housing models from other states.

Farmworker data and labor trends

  • Concern about the future of farmworker labor data. There may not be a new farm labor study. Quarterly wage data may be used instead. 
  • The 2018 Farmworker Enumeration Study is still heavily relied upon by Oregon nonprofits. There is interest in having OHCS or other state agencies fund a new study.
  • The National Agricultural Survey previously provided a poverty rate that many organizations use. If this data is no longer available, Oregon may need to collect its own poverty rate data.
  • Wages for H-2A Temporary Agricultural Program workers may decrease in Oregon, from $19 to $14, which could negatively impact the domestic workforce.
  • There is concern that the federal government conflates H-2A workers with domestic farmworkers, even though many living in labor housing are domestic.
  • Census of Agriculture data is publicly available and could be a resource.

Wrap up and next steps

Confirmed action items 
  • OHCS will explore public comment opportunities on H-2A changes.

Next Meeting: Quarter 1 of 2026

The next meeting will be held in quarter one of 2026. Please check online for meeting materials and updates. You can also view past meeting notes from previous sessions.

Have questions about AWHFT or this meeting? Please email Rachel Pallatin, OHCS community engagement coordinator, at rachel.pallatin@hcs.oregon.gov.

OHCS wants to ensure that everyone has access to its information and programs. If you would like this information in a different language, please emailLanguage.Access@hcs.oregon.gov.