President. in essence. this bill attempts to stimulate activity in the construction and improvement of housing for migratory workers by authorizing the Secretary of Agriculture to insure commercial loans up to $35 million a year for this type of housing. The concepts employed are similar to those which have proved so successful under the Federal Housing Administrations insurance program for home loans. The bill also authorizes the establishment of a $25 million revolving fund from which direct loans may be made to farmers. farmers associations and State or county governments wishing to provide migrant housing on a nonprofit basis. Mr. President. I regard this bill. together with the proposed legislation I introduced last week to provide Federal assistance for the education of the migratory workers and their children. as a workable approach toward two very serious problems. namely housing and education. Our migratory workers face many problems. and I believe that action must be taken in these specific areas. for they are among the most important in the migrants life. relating. as they do. to their homes. These migrant workers are on the road. far from whatever permanent home they may have. for most of the months of the year. They are the perennial strangers in our midst. spending a few weeks here. a few months there. always moving to the immutable laws of season and crop. In such circumstances. the house in which they live takes on special meaning and importance. It is all they can cling to in a town they will never get to know as we know the communities in which we live. Yet from what was seen in six States visited by the Subcommittee on Migratory Labor. it is obvious that entirely too many migratory workers still do not have access to adequate and clean shelter. To many farmers. the migrant is a temporary visitor. and they believe that their investment in housing should be kept to a minimum. often a very bare minimum. The subcommittee has seen shacks which have been made somewhat livable by the migrants. we have also seen buildings which had been occupied by entire families until condemned by State agencies. On the other hand. we have also seen earnest and very encouraging efforts by some growers to provide good lousing despite slim profit margins and with no assurance that their competitors will provide equally good housing. We have seen. for example. camps in which central dining areas were provided. in which rooms were painted in attractive colors. and in which sanitary facilities were new. well maintained. and adequate.
Identified stereotypes
Migrants are described as perennial strangers, always moving.