Deserving farmworkers get ‘first of its kind’ sustainable and affordable housing
It's a project working to build sustainable and affordable housing for some deserving families.
We had the opportunity to take a first hand look at the "Welcome Home Initiative" that is meeting the needs of Coachella Valley farm workers.
"We are helping families to adapt to the challenges of climate change," said Sergio Carranza founder Pueblo Unido Community Development Corporation.
It’s a partnership that allows the Benitez family to continue living on the land they own, while receiving a new home that keeps environmental challenges like extreme heat and flooding in mind.
Polanco Park resident, Gloria benitez said, "Our dream was to live here in this area.”
"We just came back with a $75,000 grant from our welcome home initiative to be able to install those solar panels, do the kitchen cabinets and then do several trees around," said Laura MacKinnon Chapman with Wells Fargo.
Those solar panels will keep the home insulated and cool when temperatures creep in to the one teens and twenties.
"If you go inside with no air conditioning, we are achieving temperatures of between seven to ten degrees lower," said Carranza.
Future home owner, Gloria Benitez is looking forward to the home's new features.
“That’s what’s most important, how cool it is, and overall the cost of bills will go down," said Benitez.
Architects also kept power outages in mind, installing a solar panel system that can keep appliances running during a blackout.
"Including air conditioning, refrigeration and everything for seven days in case that we have power loss for that period of time," said Carranza.
The home will also feature a new water filtration system that will allow the Benitez family to access clean drinking and bathing water directly in their home.
"These families contribute to over $600 million in agricultural revenues, not only to the local, but the regional economy, and they sustain our food system. That is what is critical. So right now what we're doing is creating these new opportunities to make this sustainable," said Carranza.
