Housing Conditions in Temporary Labor Camps for Migrant Farmworkers in North Carolina

Published by the Center for Worker Health at Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Click here to download the full policy brief.

Purpose

This policy brief describes conditions in migrant farmworker housing in North Carolina and presents recommendations to improve housing conditions.

Background

Housing conditions in temporary labor camps are regulated in North Carolina by the Migrant Housing Act (MHA).  The Migrant Housing Act is enforced by the North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL). All temporary labor camps must be registered with the NCDOL, which inspects housing prior to occupancy and issues housing certificates for camps that pass the inspection.

Policy Implications

Housing standards for temporary labor camps are not being adequately enforced. This brief documents a large number of violations of housing standards. These violations pose hazards to residents’ health. Housing violations were more common during the middle and late agricultural season and in non-H2A camps and large camps. Possible explanations include: 1) housing exceeds the capacity for which it is certified, 2) employers fail to properly maintain facilities after inspection, and 3) inspections are prioritized for H2A camps.

Recommendations

Several steps should be taken to enhance enforcement of the North Carolina Migrant Housing Act.

• Increase the number of inspectors.
• Increase the number of post-occupancy inspections conducted.
• Target a portion of post-occupancy inspections to camps with no H2A workers
• and camps with more than 10 residents.
• Expand efforts to identify and inspect unregistered camps.

Click here to download the full policy brief.