HISTORY
The NFWSC was founded by Cesar E. Chavez, Dolores C. Huerta, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Walter Ruether, President of the United Automobile Workers (UAW) in 1966.  Early in its history, the NFWSC adopted an aggressive and innovative approach to addressing the needs of farm worker communities by developing and operating a chain of rural farm worker health clinics, farm worker cooperatives, and the nation's first farm worker retirement home.

The NFWSC uses education, child development, affordable housing, economic development, health care and financial services as tools to create a better future for various communities.  Since 1983, the NFWSC has developed various affordable housing and economic development projects to address the needs of farm workers, Latinos and other working families.

The NFWSC has constructed over 600 single-family homes and completed 24 acquisition/ rehabilitation and new construction communities totaling approximately 4,000 multi-family units.  In January 1999, the NFWSC board re-focused its commitment to proactively help farm workers, Latinos and other working families secure housing that is both affordable and of high quality.  As a result, the NFWSC Board of Directors challenged staff to positively impact housing conditions for at least 100,000 Southwest residents in the next ten years.   From this challenge stems the goal to acquire and rehabilitate, build new and/or facilitate the production of 25,000 housing units within the next ten years.

In terms of economic development, the NFWSC developed, owns and operates two small shopping centers.  Mariposa Plaza, in Parlier, California, is a 10,000 square foot center built to cater to the large population of farm workers, which flood the area during harvest time in the Valley.  Mariposa Plaza is filled with small businesses, usually minority-owned, who provide workers with food and services.

STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVE
The persistent inequality of income and wealth between owners and renters, as well as between whites and minorities, threatens to widen the gap between those who can afford decent housing and those who cannot.  Today, this gap is the largest on record, estimated at 5.4 million units.  The economic growth that is pushing up employment and homeownership in most of the Nation’s cities is also driving increases in rents more than one-and-a-half times faster than inflation—and creating staggering jumps in home prices as well.  Rental units make up a vital component of the nation’s housing stock, especially for lower-income minority and immigrant families unable to buy homes and for higher-income and/or mobile households for whom renting makes economic sense.  The U.S. government contends that no more than 30% of a family's household income should be used for total housing costs, but more than 40% of American tenants are "rent burdened" using that criteria.  

We believe our organizational strength obligates us to be at the forefront of servicing the housing needs of the exploding Latino population. 

Over the last decade, we have witnessed the tremendous growth of the Latino community in the United States.  The U.S. Latino population has grown from 22,400,000 (22.4 million) to 35,300,000 (35.3 million) during the 1990s – an increase of 13,000,000 (13 million) or 57%.  Moreover, most demographers expect the Latino population to double in size within the next ten years. 

Currently, more than 75% of all U.S. Latinos live in the western and southern United States:  43.5% in the West, 32.8% in the South, 14.9% in the Northeast, and 8.8% in the Midwest.  U.S. Latinos are especially concentrated in the largest metropolitan areas and in their central cities, especially in the states of California and Texas.  Combined, these two states account for almost half of the U.S. Latino population. However, there has also been a trend of immigrants moving out of California and Texas to states in the Midwest and the South.  In fact, between 1990 and 2000, there has been a significant population percent increase in emerging Latino communities throughout the Midwest and the South:  Florida-70%, New York-30%, Illinois-69%, New Jersey-51%, Georgia-300%, and North Carolina 394%. 

Also important to consider is that in the year 2000, 35% of U.S. Latinos were less than age 18, with a median age for U.S. Latinos of 25.9  years – a fairly young population.  Furthermore, more than 60% of the U.S. Latino population had an income in the range from $10,000 to $35,000.  Combined, these two facts point to the potential that over the next 10 years, these young U.S. Latinos will be in need of, and in the market for, affordable housing.

Regardless of our current portfolio, our accomplishments are not enough in the light of the housing crisis affecting many Americans and hitting Latinos and working families the hardest. We must continue to work harder.