Local farm, food workers may be eligible for $1,000 in COVID relief

A state program that gives up wage relief for Sacramento County farmworkers, food processing workers, agriculture laborers and food stand vendors sick with COVID-19 ends this month. Workers must either live or work in Sacramento County.

Cosecha Sana, also known as Housing for the Harvest, is designed to help food and agriculture workers isolate if they test positive for COVID-19 by providing wage reimbursement for time off. Workers can also use the funds to book a hotel to isolate from family members.

Since its inception in 2020, more than 570 people have benefited from the program in Sacramento County, according to Rachel Rios of La Familia Counseling Center, the county administrator of the state program. Last year, the program got a $24 million boost in state funding to distribute to agricultural counties in California.

“La Familia understands the important role that farmworkers and food processing workers play in our community and we are eager to continue to support them so they can do the work needed to put food on all of our tables,” Rios said in a statement. “Our work with Cosecha Sana helped slow the spread of COVID19 and protected our community’s food supply during the pandemic.”

Workers can get up to $1,000 in wage reimbursements, and an additional $500 to $1,000 for meal assistance depending on how many people live in their household, according to La Familia spokeswoman Lilly Cortes Wyatt.

The Housing for the Harvest state program ends April 30, and funds are still available. Interested workers who want to apply must call 916-720-8434 before the end of the month. There is no online application portal.

Eligible occupations for the program include farmworkers and food processing workers, as well as food vendors like those who sell paletas or produce at stands around Sacramento County.

Workers don’t have to be sick at the time when they apply — the program is retroactive six months, meaning if an applicant can show proof that they were positive within that time period, they may be eligible for relief.

Studies conducted during the pandemic have found that California farmworkers and workers in the agriculture industry were disproportionately impacted by the financial and physical toll of the coronavirus. Many workers have existing health issues, are financially strained, and lack access to safety net systems like insurance or sick benefits.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found in particular that Latino workers in the agriculture sector experienced a substantially higher prevalence of COVID-19 compared to agriculture workers overall, accounting for nearly 1 million cases in December 2021.

Workers who live outside of Sacramento County and may be eligible for COVID-19 relief can find their local program administrator on the state’s website.