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: August 14, 2025
- Welcome and introductions
- Reflections, Resilience, and Realities: Immigration, Labor, and Housing
- Highlights from the 2025 Farmworker Housing Conference
- Outreach priorities for Ag Worker Housing Tax Credit
- Wrap-up, action items, and announcements
Welcome and introductions
- Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Policy Manager, Jennifer Stewart, introduction.
Reflections, Resilience, and Realities: Immigration, Labor, and Housing
Participants discussed worker protections, barriers, and agency responsibilities. Concerns were raised about fear among workers, barriers to access, and the need for proactive approaches by agencies.
Key discussion points:
- Need for more protections for workers; challenges with pay rate clarity and barriers faced by migrants.
- Urged clarity on what agencies can do, proactive support for farmworkers, and recognition that responsibility cannot be deferred.
- Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is regularly discussing protections for first-generation Americans and farmworkers, despite not having regulatory authority.
- Emphasized Oregon OSHA does not ask about immigration status; workers can call Oregon OSHA directly.
- Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) has upcoming training will help employers with compliance. Immigration status is not asked, but national origin can arise as a protected class. Current issues are discouraging workers from coming forward.
- Highlighted barriers to access, with employers posting private property signs, while workers still need services.
Decisions / Agreements: OHCS will update its website to include Know Your Rights (KYR) links and resources.
Action Items: Update OHCS website to include KYR links and resources by next meeting.
Highlights from the 2025 Farmworker Housing Conference
Attendees shared reflections and thanked sponsors. Agencies present highlighted the collaborative spirit of the conference.
Key Discussion Points:
- Casa of Oregon gave overview of conference and thanked sponsors and attendees.
- Noted the value of bringing together different disciplines around a common goal. Agency leadership attendance was important.
- Other agencies reaffirmed the importance of conference takeaways.
Decisions / Agreements:
- No formal decisions, but participants agreed to carry forward themes of cross-agency collaboration.
Action Items: None identified.
Outreach Priorities for Ag Worker Housing Tax Credit
Discussion focused on outreach priorities for the Ag Worker Housing Tax Credit (AWHTC). OHCS provided an overview, and attendees discussed geographic focus and broader goals.
Key Discussion Points:
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Overview of tax credit use; ~20% focused on on-farm housing; current use concentrated in Wasco, Hood River, Marion, and Jackson counties.
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Questions about outreach responsibility, pre-development funding, and historical use of tax credits and grant programs.
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Important to give workers more housing options; referenced Yamhill garages as a creative approach; cautioned against tying housing exclusively to employers.
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Broader discussion of solutions in other states and opportunities to expand choices.
Decisions / Agreements:
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No formal decisions made.
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OHCS will lead outreach efforts.
Action Items:
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OHCS: Conduct regional outreach on AWHTC.
Wrap-up, action items, and announcements
Meeting ended with confirmation of action items and setting the next meeting date. Suggested doing an economic analysis to see the value that farmworkers bring to the state. Oregon Association of Nurseries and ODA to begin initial conversation facilitated by OHCS.
Action Items:
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OHCS: Tasks include updating the website, AWHTC outreach coordination, and economic analysis facilitation).
Standing Sections
Barriers / issues log:
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Worker fear and barriers to access — continued monitoring.
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Employer signage and restricted access — need for outreach strategies.
Policy and regulatory updates:
- Oregon OSHA confirmed it does not request immigration status.
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BOLI training is forthcoming to support employer compliance.
Funding and programs: Ag Worker Housing Tax Credit (OHCS focus).
Data research: None noted.
Parking lot and follow ups: Consider exploring other states housing solutions in future meetings.