Proposed New Affordable Housing for Agricultural Worker Families
📍 E 8th St & Forest St, Gilroy, CA 95020
(Previously known as 8th & Alexander Housing)
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Project Sponsors:
Help us envision a vibrant community for families and agricultural workers to thrive near the heart of downtown Gilroy
Engage
with us!
Help shape the future of 8th & Forest!
The site at 8th & Forest Street in Gilroy, vacant for nearly a decade, presents a important opportunity to create stable, high-quality affordable housing for families, with a focus on housing for agricultural workers—people who sustain our local food systems and economy yet face some of the most severe housing challenges in the region.
Led by the Santa Clara County Housing Authority and Engage FORA, in collaboration on with the County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing, this effort centers the voices of agricultural workers and their families, ensuring lived experiences directly shape the design, amenities, and long-term vision for the community. Through a thoughtful, inclusive engagement process, the project aims to co-create a place that reflects the resilience, culture, and needs of the people it is meant to serve.
Sections on this page
Project Details / Upcoming Events / Join the Conversation / Community Engagement Overview/
Past Events (coming soon) / FAQs (coming soon) / Who Benefits from Affordable Housing?
/ At a Glance:
Agriculture plays a critical role in South Santa Clara County’s economy, supporting over 8,000 local jobs and generating more than $1.6 billion in annual output. Despite this, there is a significant shortage of housing for agricultural workers, with an estimated need for approximately 700 permanent homes and 1,400 seasonal homes across Santa Clara County.
Many agricultural workers earn incomes that are not sufficient to afford market-rate housing in the region. With average annual earnings around $23,700, and typical rents in the Gilroy area ranging from $2,500 to $3,000 per month, housing costs can exceed 60% of a household’s income.
This project aims to help address this need by providing high-quality, affordable housing designed to support agricultural workers and their families. Through a community engagement process that prioritizes accessibility, inclusivity, safety, and responsiveness, the project seeks to create housing that is aligned with the needs of the people it is intended to serve.
Project Goals:
See the Listening Phase for Upcoming Events!
/ Join the Conversation
Share Your Ideas💡
Can’t join us in person? No problem!
Take a minute to share your thoughts about the project using the quick form below. Your input helps shape what gets built.
New questions are posted every few months—check back to stay involved!
Stay Connected📬
Sign up to join our email list - where you will receive updates on the project, upcoming events, and opportunities to get involved in shaping what gets built.
NOTE: Your information will only be used to share key project updates. It will not be shared by anyone except the project team.
/ Community Engagement Process
Design is better when diverse perspectives are at the table. Buildings that best provide for the needs of future residents, reflect their community and place, and are deeply valued by the community, are created by listening to those they strive to serve and including them throughout the design process.
✅Phase 1 / Connections Phase
We always begin community engagement by developing an understanding of the project’s context, including its location, history, and surrounding community. During the Connections Phase, we interviewed community leaders such as community organizations, non-profits, local businesses, and neighborhood leaders to gain hyperlocal insights.
➡️Phase 2 / Listening Phase
We are now in the first public phase of community engagement process, the Listening Phase. This phase is about understanding the community’s collective values and visions. Your critical insights help ensure the project is designed to best serve its community. Once this phase is complete, we will publish a Listening Report sharing more details and findings. Planned events include:
1. A pop-up at the Farmworker Housing Resource Fair to reach the local farmworker community ✅
Date: May 14, 2026
Time: 6pm - 8pm
Location: Royal Oak Village | Morgan Hill, CA 95037
2. UPCOMING: A pop-up at the to reach the broader Gilroy community at the Gilroy EV Ride and Drive event
Date: Saturday, June 27th, 2026
Time: 10:30am - 2:30pm
Location: Gilroy City Hall Plaza, 7351 Rosanna St, Gilroy, CA
What to Expect:
🏠Learn more about the proposed project
📐 Express your values and priorities for the proposed project
🗣 Share your local community insights
🏠 Explore how the project can best fit into the neighborhood and support future residents
💳 A chance to win a gift card!
🌈 Enjoy a welcoming space & great company!
🔜Phase 3 / Co-creation Phase
Next we will enter the Co-creation Phase, which begins by reporting back the findings and major themes and values heard during the Listening Phase. A series of interactive design activities help inform the project design. Upholding a process based on transparency and integrity, the design team will describe the requirements and key design drivers for the development and only present feasible options. A summary of Past Co-creation Events will be added below as they occur.
3. UPCOMING: A focus group in late July, led by Nueva Vida, to hear from project neighbors.
The Date/Time/Location for this event are only being shared with neighbors/participants, as this is not a public event. If you are an interested neighbor, please email us at info@8thandforest.com.
Phase 4 / Accountability Phase
The Accountability Phase is a robust effort to gather and organize the valuable feedback we receive from the community throughout the engagement period, distill it into key themes and values, and clearly document how those insights are integrated into the project design. Once complete, a final report will be linked below highlighting the priorities and perspectives shared by the community and illustrating how input has meaningfully shaped the project.
/ Who Benefits from Affordable Housing?
