Where: Coachella Valley, Riverside County, CA
Problem: Lack of decent, affordable housing for agricultural workers in Coachella Valley
Solution: RCAC small business loan

Eastern Riverside County was identified by federal, state and local agencies as having a vast number of illegal, dilapidated, overcrowded mobile home parks, many of which have been the subject of legal action. Mobile homes have and remain the principal source of housing for lower income farm worker households in this area.

RCAC provided a $230,000 small business loan to Travis Helfman and Melva Gonzalez Recinos to develop a 12-unit mobile home park for agricultural workers in accordance with the state standards under legislation authored in 1991 by Assemblyman Richard Polanco. Each of the households renting a trailer space must include one agricultural worker.

The funding RCAC provided permitted the construction and proper maintenance of the mobile home park and safe agricultural employee housing. RCAC’s financing also will provide construction jobs and economic stimulus to rural Riverside County.

“This housing shortage has been a growing one for some time, and RCAC offered a real option for funding.  I’m not sure where we would be without the help of RCAC. I can’t thank RCAC enough for there help,” said Travis Helfman, Helfman Constriction Owner/General Contractor.

Polanco mobile home parks were authorized by the legislature in 1991 to encourage the construction and proper maintenance of agricultural employee housing. They differ from standard mobile home parks as they are exempt from normal zoning and some building requirements and they are limited in size.