BLOOMING PRAIRIE – It may only be a glimmer, but activists see a light at the end of the tunnel toward finding housing for temporary seasonal migrant workers in the area.

Sunday, October 03, 1999

BLOOMING PRAIRIE – It may only be a glimmer, but activists see a light at the end of the tunnel toward finding housing for temporary seasonal migrant workers in the area.

Chris Olson, executive director of Blooming Prairie Center, Inc., is encouraged.

"I really think some progress is being made," Olson, "Especially after the meeting at the Grass Camp and with the USDA’s Rural Development plans."

Olson and Oscar Trevino, outreach worker for Blooming Prairie Center, Inc., have been among the leaders in efforts to find housing for migrant workers, who come to southeastern Minnesota to work and return to their homes as well as those people, mainly Hispanics, who come to Minnesota to find jobs and settle here.

For the last four months, Blooming Prairie Center, Inc. has hosted a series of meetings, bringing together representatives from various agencies, as well as city and county officials and canning companies. Among the most active private sector partners in finding a solution have been Chiquita Foods, Inc. of Owatonna (formerly Owatonna Canning Company) and Bailey’s Nursery.

Recently, a meeting was held at the Grass Camp near Medford that brought together Hispanics, who told of their problems in locating adequate, affordable housing.

The stories surfaced this summer of migrant families paying exorbitant rents, individuals and families having to live in apartments and homes intended for fewer numbers and some even sleeping in their cars or pickup trucks.

Social service and community action agencies told of being inundated with requests for help. The requests also extended to Salvation Army and Semcac agencies, county departments of human services and churches.

Olson convinced all of the activists to form the Southeastern Minnesota Migrant and Affordable Housing Coalition to attack the problem with a united front.

The focus has mainly been families in Steele and Dodge counties, but there have been similar situations uncovered in neighboring Freeborn, Mower and Fillmore counties.

Camps may reopen

A long-abandoned migrant worker camp near Bixby was ruled beyond repair and, therefore, disqualified for funding.

However, an application for $581,191 was submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to upgrade another camp at Claremont has been submitted. In addition, pre-development funds are being sought from the Minnesota Housing Partnership and Minnesota Housing Fund.

The joint-proposals call for 12 three-bedroom units and 11 two-bedroom units with one main laundry room and an on-site day care facility, plus a meeting room for training and other events.

A conditional use permit will be sought from the Dodge County Board of Commissioners to reopen the camp and develop it for housing. Last week, Dodge County zoning and other officials toured the camp site.

Ted Niskanen, a field representative for the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning, attended the Grass Camp meeting at Medford in September.

Jobs, both temporary, seasonal positions and permanent positions, exist in the southeastern Minnesota area, including Quality Pork Processors, Inc. at Austin, a hog slaughter facility.

That means employment for the adults who come to the area.

Niskanen said the Hispanics at the meeting said they "would like to stay and get those jobs, but the limiting factor is the total lack of decent and affordable housing."

The Hispanic families are leaving the area and the jobs behind because of the housing situation, according to Niskanen.

"Many of the families had already left for Texas due to work and housing conditions," he said.

Now, it is possible one or two models of a new kind of affordable housing could be built – almost immediate provided funding and laborers are available – in Blooming Prairie as a pilot project.

That also has the Blooming Prairie Center’s Olson excited.

‘Hard facts’ coming Thursday

More information and "hard facts" will be made available to Hispanic families and others at twin meetings scheduled 1 and 7 p.m. Thursday at Blooming Prairie Center, Inc.

The USDA’s Rural Development program field representative, Joan Trahan, will facilitate the two meetings.

Interested Hispanic families will learn about loans up to 100 percent of market value of housing with monthly payments reduced by payment assistance and financing for new construction or purchase of existing homes.

The program eligibility requires that applicants meet adjusted income guidelines, including 1 person, $26,100; 2 persons, $29,800; 3 persons, $33,550; 4 persons, $37,300; 5 persons, $40,250; 6 persons, $46,250; and 68 persons, $49,200.

It’s not a bright light, but Olson, Trevino and the other activists are, they say, seeing some light on the issue.

For more information about the Thursday meeting, call Olson or Trevino at (507) 583-6699 or Carol Horstman at the Faribault office of the Rural Development program (507) 334-2206.