continued from coverCommunity Members Develop Leadership and Advocacy SkillsFarmworkers Address Their Housing Conditions
“We were founded 16 years ago with the mission of helping farmworkers improve the conditions of their housing by training them in what they could do to make it happen,” said Juan Uranga, CCA executive director. “We go to housing sites—we used to knock on doors; nowadays we get invited—and we make a presentation on the rights and obligations of being a tenant and of being a landlord. At the end of the presentation, we ask the people if they want to use what they just learned to improve their housing.” Research has shown that poor housing and related environmental health hazards can adversely affect community health. Serious problems at the labor camps and trailer parks where farmworkers live include overflowing sewage, exposed electrical wiring, rotting flooring, broken appliances and lead paint, which is associated with neurodevelopmental problems in young children. CCA trainers teach tenants how to form a committee of their peers, identify a leader and inventory the conditions of each participating unit. When the trainers feel the committee is ready to take action, CCA generates a letter to the landlord, listing the defects the tenants want repaired. “We make only one request of the landlord— that he or she negotiate with the committee regarding the repairs and what priority they should have,” said Uranga. If a landlord refuses to negotiate, the tenant committee is trained in a series of escalating actions, which may include a demonstration or a press conference. The ultimate action is rent withholding, authorized by law for California Civil Code violations. Tenants pay the withheld rent into a special CCA account. “That’s what gives them economic leverage that brings landlords in to negotiate,” said Uranga. The farmworker leaders are also the prime movers of the promotores de salud program. Trained by a public health nurse in preventive health care, they return to the housing sites to present workshops on various health issues. Twelve promotores are already serving 500 families annually. Uranga said he hopes to reach large groups of farmworkers more efficiently by doing outreach at job sites, with the growers’ permission. “The unique thing is that the promotores do this work on top of their day jobs, so they are still very much affected by health issues unique to farmworkers,” said Fatima Angeles, TCWF program director. “Over the years, the program slowly creates a network of trained health advocates. Even if they stop volunteering, they will continue to be health advocates for themselves and their families.” continued... |
The Salinas-based Center
for Community Advocacy
(CCA) is using a three-year,
$135,000 TCWF grant to
support two related programs
in Monterey and Santa Cruz
counties: tenant organizing,
based on a model developed in
Juarez, Mexico, and outreach
by peer-to-peer, site-based
promotores de salud (community
health workers).
Winter 2005
Local Leaders Work Towards Healthier Communities Medicare Information and Support |
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Wellness Foundation.
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