Migrant farmworker housing regulation violations in north Carolina

Abstract

Background The quality of housing provided to migrant farmworkers is often criticized, but few studies have investigated these housing conditions. This analysis examines housing regulation violations experienced by migrant farmworkers in North Carolina, and the associations of camp characteristics with the presence of housing violations. Methods Data were collected in183 eastern North Carolina migrant farmworker camps in 2010. Housing regulation violations for the domains of camp, sleeping room, bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, and general housing, as well as total violations were assessed using North Carolina Department of Labor standards. Results Violations of housing regulations were common, ranging from 4 to 22 per camp. Housing regulation violations were common in all domains; the mean number of camp violations was 1.6, of sleeping room violations was 3.8, of bathroom violations was 4.5, of kitchen violations was 2.3, of laundry room violations was 1.2, and of general housing violations was 3.1. The mean number of total housing violations was 11.4. Several camp characteristics were consistently associated with the number of violations; camps with workers having H-2A visas, with North Carolina Department of Labor Certificates of Inspection posted, and assessed early in the season had fewer violations. Conclusions These results argue for regulatory changes to improve the quality of housing provided to migrant farmworkers, including stronger regulations and the more vigorous enforcement of existing regulations.

Hidden Farmworker Labor Camps in North Carolina: An Indicator of Structural Vulnerability

“…22 The fewer violations and greater distance from the road may have been a function of barracks being newly and specifically built to house migrant farmworkers, as opposed to using old farm houses and trailers. At the same time, fewer camps with barracks and that were hidden afforded farmworkers with privacy, where privacy was defined as dividers between toilets and showers.…”

“…22 Community partners included the North Carolina Farmworkers Project, Student Action with Farmworkers, and other…”

“…We based the camp inspection on the housing quality standards promulgated by the North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL) but also included other items of interest to community partners and investigators. 22 We collected geographic data by making a Google Earth map in collaboration with community partners of known camp locations. This Keyhole Markup Language (KML) map layer of camp locations became the basis of the GIS for this analysis.…”

“…22---24 Crowding, lack of access to sufficient bathing facilities, pest infestation, and structural damage are common to dwellings in farmworker labor camps. 22,25 Employer-provided farmworker housing seldom meets the requirements of state and federal regulations 22 and is generally inhabited on a temporary basis for the period when the workers are employed, whereas local market housing is inhabited on a temporary or long-term basis depending on whether the residents migrate.…”

Heat effects among migrant and seasonal farmworkers: a case study in Colorado

“…Migrant farmworkers generally live in inexpensive apartments, mobile homes or temporary housing with poor living conditions. Arcury et al 24 reported that migrant farmworker housing regulation violations in North Carolina had at least four total violations for every camp, with 60.1% having 10–14 total violations, and 14.2% having 15–22 violations. At the national level, a report by the National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH) found that housing for migrant farmworkers is often substandard and non-existent due to high rates of poverty and they generally endure abuses from landlords 25.…”