The housing predicament for Hispanic migrants isn't confined to Winchester. The city knows the migrants are nearby. A sign in a park just across the street from the bridge outlines the park rules in Spanish. Dozens of the Hispanic workers in Lexington fill the beds and floor mats at the Hope Center throughout the tobacco season. Several migrants cram into dilapidated apartment buildings in Scott County, often overcrowding one apartment.
Many farmers provide housing for their workers.
That way, the farmers know where they can find the workers, and the workers get a free place to stay. Some growers give the workers mobile homes on the farm, while others convert barns into livable quarters. But for the migrants who work on farms that don't provide housing, finding an affordable and safe place to live can be tough. The migrant workers often have no credit histories or identification cards and can't speak English. Randulfo Villa, who does mostly construction work and speaks little English, said he quit searching for a place to live after three apartment owners said they wouldn't rent to him.