Job-Training & Transitional Employment
The Homeless Garden Project's (HGP) employment-training program serves individuals in Santa Cruz county who are experiencing homelessness, who have encountered barriers to employment, and who wish to maintain a stable productive place in their community.
Job-Training Program
Our job training program consists of formal classes and hands-on work in these programs:
- In the Natural Bridges Farm program program trainees learn to sow, cultivate, and harvest organic produce and fresh-cut flowers. This harvest is sold through our Community Supported Agriculture program, at our Farm Stand, and on occasion, to wholesale accounts.
- In our value-added enterprise trainees, learn to dry a wide variety of herbs and flowers and design beautiful, long-lasting arrangements and other value-added products, which we sell online and at our downtown retail store.
Employment Training Programs
We encourage you to visit the farm on a Thursday or Friday between 10 am and 2 pm to meet with our Training & Education supervisor. You can see firsthand if the employment-training program and work is something you would like to commit to in order to meet your goals. If you appear to be a good fit, you will be asked to apply. Our Training & Education Supervisor will schedule an orientation with you. After the orientation, you may be eligible for a paid, two-week “trial hire.”
The Homeless Garden Project is actively recruiting people to join the Employment Training Programs.
To learn more about the program and work opportunities: call us or connect with us via email.
What is Work Force Development?
At the Homeless Garden Project, we believe that offering a range of training opportunities broadens an individual's worth and value to a company. Upskilling is essential, so our Employment Training Programs also offer workforce development for those who’re experiencing homelessness. The job training program at the Homeless Garden Project serves as a principle mechanism to ensure HGP achieves our mission, which states “in the soil of our urban farm and garden, people find the tools they need to build a home in the world”.
Learn more about how HGP’s Job Training Program works by reading our curated blogs or subscribing to our newsletter.
Finding Flatmates
Finding Flatmates connects our trainees with the community to secure safe and affordable housing. By partnering with our program, landlords and property managers play a vital role in addressing the housing crisis and reducing homelessness.
Santa Cruz County faces one of the largest homeless populations in the U.S., with the Santa Cruz–Watsonville metro area experiencing a homelessness rate nearly five times the national average. In the 2023 Point-in-Time count, 79% of those experiencing homelessness were unsheltered.
Be part of the solution. Connect with us today to make a meaningful difference in our community!
"I began to feel good about what I was accomplishing and a spark began to ignite inside of me."
- Chris Roberts
Brandyn Diachenko - Graduate TraineeIt wasn’t until I found this farm and this program that I truly found a better way. People come together here unlike any other public forum. They come for support and unconditional love. They come to work hard and learn along the way.
Brandyn Diachenko - Graduate TraineeMy support system has changed by an ever-changing set of friends and by utilizing the support of our social work interns. I feel a stronger sense of community.
Danny Marrah - Graduate TraineeAt the end of the day, drenched in dry dirt, and feeling joy and CLEAN inside because of the joy shared with fellow homeless people.