Narrative: e. 1.

Due to the fact that the majority of West Virginia farms are family owned and only 13% of our farms overall hire farm workers, there are a limited number of agricultural jobs available and limited opportunities for training. Housing has not been reported as an issue, most employers utilizing migrant workers have housing available. Additional farmworker housing is being built by Eastern Action in the eastern part of the state to house workers from the poultry factory in the area.  Larger employers are hesitant to hire local workers out of concern that they will not stay the entire busy season.  While there are health care institutions geared towards MSFWs in the eastern panhandle region of the state, health care options are limited throughout the rest of the state.  

Historically, MSFWs have expressed to outreach staff the need for training to obtain a driver’s license, education assistance for their families, career assessment for family members, and obtaining financial assistance to purchase housing and land to meet family needs.  However, in recent years, the demographics of MSFWs have shifted in West Virginia in that the vast majority of our farmworkers are now foreign workers as opposed to domestic migrant workers.  Consequently, their needs have changed.  Over the last two years, MSFWs have noted to outreach staff specific needs in the following areas: affordable access to medical care, financial assistance when they first arrive in West Virginia for purchasing personal items such as hygiene products, bedding, and towels; financial assistance for obtaining cell phones to be able to communicate with their families back home; food and clothing assistance; jackets and boots for working in cold weather.

WorkForce West Virginia will work with our NFJP partner as well as our other partners and area charitable organizations to address the financial, food, and clothing needs of MSFWs when they first arrive to work in West Virginia.  Additionally, WorkForce West Virginia will collaborate with these partners to assist employers with providing worker training related to pesticides, heat stress, and general farm safety. The NFJP grantee can provide Work protection Standards (WPS) and Heat Stress training at no charge to employers.  During outreach, domestic MSFWs will frequently be made aware of all training opportunities provided by partners such as WIOA, Adult Education, and the NFJP grantee.