Over the past 12 years, staff and faculty at the UCSC Blum Center on Poverty, Social Enterprise, and Participatory Governance have worked with HGP to document trainee growth and the transformative power of the farm. In addition to asking trainees to complete questionnaires at the beginning and end of their participation in the program, we have also been working to …
My name is Jessica and this is my truth. I always knew that my chronic homelessness had a thin line between being caused by chance and by circumstance. What started by circumstance created a pattern in my life that consisted of bad choices and hard decisions. A lot of it can also depend on your stance of whether or not …
“Service is not a hierarchy but a reciprocity in which the distinctions between teacher and pupil, giver and receiver, helper and helped constantly dissolve.” –Scott London In honor of Make a Difference Week, we took time to acknowledge our extraordinary community of volunteers, and to reflect on how volunteering with HGP has made a difference in people’s lives. Becca McKnight is an invaluable …
Lienallie gave this talk at Permaculture Action Day at our farm on November 4, 2017. Over the course of the day, about 200 people gathered to take part in a day of hands-on regenerative projects, music, shared food, workshops, and taking action as a community. Lienallie spoke about her experience in Homeless Garden Project’s transitional employment program. Here are her remarks. Hello, …
Justin gave this talk to guests at Homeless Garden Project’s Sustain Farm Supper, 9.16.2017 Good Evening! First of all, I would like to thank everyone for being here tonight. And an extra special thank you to Mr. Tom Steyer and Ms. Kat Taylor for volunteering your time and energy to be with us tonight. But whether you are here to …
Shannon spoke at our Sustain Farm Supper on June 10, 2017 to over 200 people. Good evening. My name is Shannon McGurk and I am a trainee at the Homeless Garden Project. This experience has been a genuine blessing in so many ways during a particularly transformative part of my life. From a very conservative Roman Catholic upbringing as the …
On May 27, 2016, I was released from jail after a month of incarceration. I had only been in the car about two minutes when my case worker informed me that the Homeless Garden Project (HGP) was going to give jobs to the first 20 people that showed up to their main office; my first inclination was “too much, too …
Good Evening everyone. Thank you all for coming tonight. My name is Katrina Dubinsky. Everyone calls me Kat. I am a very fortunate volunteer at Homeless Garden Project and I’m grateful Darrie asked me to speak tonight. I am especially pleased to speak on something that involves promise, hope, solutions and humanity. I have much to tell about my experience …
The Homeless Garden Project is about growth, learning and starting new life. As a trainee, I’m learning so many valuable tools in gardening, planting and harvesting. Before I started working at the farm, I hadn’t worked in eight years. My self-confidence was low, but my hopes for my future were high. From day one, Lindsay, our Supervisor, made me feel …
In early February I was invited to give a brief presentation to trainees of the Homeless Garden Project to share some of the things an employer looks for in the job application and interview process. There was a lively exchange of questions and answers and further discussion of potential job opportunities in the local horticulture industry. Immediately following the presentation …
