One goal of our community education and volunteer programs is to create the Inclusion in our vision statement: We envision a thriving and inclusive community, workforce and local food system. A recent study performed by UCSC researchers, Heather E. Bullock, Shirley V. Truong, and Lina Chhun was published in the Journal of Poverty. You can read Combatting Social Exclusion: “Safe Space” and the Dynamics of …
On most Tuesday mornings for the last five years or so, I’ve attended “Circle” meetings at the Homeless Garden Project (HGP). Circle is held at the beginning of the work week and is attended by all of the people participating in the Garden’s job training program–members of the small staff, graduates of the program who come back for an occasional …
Early on, the Women’s Organic Flower Enterprise filled a void in Homeless Garden Project’s training program during the winter months and held out the promise of earned income for the Project. In 2014, the Homeless Garden Project Store has done so much more than fill out the training program in the winter months. Today it’s at the center of a web of community …
Andrew presented this talk to 75 guests at our SUSTAIN Farm Dinner. My name is Andrew. I came to Santa Cruz when I was 13, and 14 was my first trip to Juvenile Hall. By 15, I was in rehab and by 16, I was in a group home until I was 18. I had a family that loved me and …
I am constantly struck by what a rarity it is in today’s world to see men and women working alongside each other as equals, as complementary parts of a larger whole. Perhaps that’s part of what makes being a part of the Homeless Garden Project’s community each Wednesday such an affirming, uplifting experience. Together with my married friends, Karen & …
