Workforce housing as an elegant, ethical and enduring investment
- Mahnaz Khazen
- Jun 10
- 3 min read
Workforce Housing in Urban Areas
In cities across the country, the people who keep our urban ecosystems running—from teachers and healthcare workers to restaurant staff, transit operators, and sanitation crews—can’t afford to live in the communities they serve. As the cost of living continues to rise, working-class individuals and families are being pushed farther away, sacrificing hours to commuting or, in many heartbreaking cases, resorting to sleeping in their cars, on friends’ couches, or in shelters—stripped of privacy, security, and dignity.
At Howzing, we believe this is not just a housing crisis—it’s a civic failure.
Workforce housing in urban areas is not just a social good; it’s a public necessity. Without it, cities risk losing the very people who staff hospitals, educate children, care for the elderly, and provide the everyday services that keep urban life moving. These are not hypothetical residents—they are:
EMTs, nurses, and medical assistants
School teachers, classroom aides, and childcare workers
Bus drivers, maintenance crews, and street cleaners
Grocery clerks, kitchen staff, delivery drivers, and hospitality workers
Despite full-time jobs, many of these individuals earn between 30%–80% of the Area Median Income (AMI)—which is not enough to cover market rents in major metropolitan areas like Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or San Jose.
The Human Toll
Recent studies show that up to 25% of working people in some metro regions experience housing insecurity. It’s not uncommon for city employees to live out of their cars or rotate between couches and motel rooms just to stay close to their jobs. These are working families—many with children—living without stability, routine, or a place to simply exhale.
Our Vision and Approach
At Howzing, we are committed to building workforce housing in the urban core—not on the margins. We believe working people deserve to live where they work, and that thriving cities depend on inclusive, equitable housing strategies.
We look forward to building strong partnerships with:
Cities and counties seeking sustainable housing solutions
Employers who want to retain their workforce
Service providers and nonprofits who deliver supportive programs
Together, we can co-create housing that meets real needs, enhances urban resilience, and restores dignity to those doing the hardest work with the fewest resources.
If you’re a public agency, housing authority, corporate employer, or community organization looking to create housing for the people who serve your city, we want to partner with you.
Let’s work together to bring housing home—where it belongs.
Farmworker Family Housing: Unique opportunity to invest
California’s agricultural economy depends on the labor of tens of thousands of farmworker families, yet too many of them live in overcrowded, unsafe, or substandard housing—if they have housing at all. These are the hands that harvest our food, yet many live in cars, garages, or shared homes with multiple families under one roof.
Many farmworkers are women, working not only long hours in the fields but often holding multiple jobs to support their children—cleaning homes, working in restaurants, or taking seasonal roles when farm work slows. Despite their efforts, the comfort and stability of a permanent home remain out of reach for too many.
At Howzing, we are changing that—one project at a time.
One example is our project at 151 Highway 33 in Newman, a former hospital site now reimagined as 12 family dwellings tailored to the needs of farmworker families. The development includes:
On-site daycare facilities to support working mothers
Vocational training space for off-season income generation
Family-focused design and cultural sensitivity throughout
This project is made possible thanks to our partnership with Merced County and the outstanding leadership of Supervisor Lloyd Pareira, Jr., whose commitment to rural equity and community health has helped bring this vision to life.
We believe farmworkers deserve more than survival—they deserve stability, opportunity, and a place to thrive. At Howzing, we’re proud to turn vacant buildings into homes for the people who hold our food systems together. And we’re just getting started.
