A Path to Self-Sufficiency and Hope: Santa Cruz's Homeless Garden Project

The Homeless Garden Project (HGP) is a non-profit utilizing the soils of an organic urban farm to rehabilitate and revitalize the community of Santa Cruz CA. For over 30 years their training program has provided a path to self-sufficiency for the unsheltered members of their community.

“The people we serve at Homeless Garden Project (HGP)—people experiencing homelessness—are an extremely diverse group of people. Here at HGP, I have learned that homelessness is complex, caused by a number of factors including structural causes, individual circumstances, stigma and isolation. We work with people who want to use our program to get out of homelessness and to get a job,” Darrie Ganzhorn, executive director of the HGP, said. “What unites the people we serve is a sense of appreciation for the opportunity to improve their lives, and accountability to each other, the farm and the HGP. I have been profoundly inspired by the potential within each of our trainees, by their wisdom, insight and resilience."

Ganzhorn said working on the farm enables trainees to get in touch with the earth and the cycle of life. They plant seeds, nurture and harvest crops. The meditative quality of organic farming promotes self-reflection, the structure and routine of the work week promotes stability. 

“Trainees are in direct contact with the tangible results of their work. Many trainees reflect on how the farm is a metaphor for their own growth at the Project. At the Project, trainees are part of the solution, growing organic food for the community, and, through our Feed Two Birds program, sharing our organic produce with our most vulnerable neighbors,” she said.

For the past 3 years, 100 percent of the program graduates have gained employment and nearly all have stable housing. 

The Homeless Garden Project currently has two certified organic farms. Their 3.5-acre Natural Bridges location, actively farmed by trainees and volunteers, has been producing organic food in Santa Cruz since 1995.

The new Pogonip location, 9.5 certified organic acres within the City of Santa Cruz’s 640-acre Pogonip greenbelt property will triple their job training capacity and will someday be HGP’s permanent location. Plans include improved facilities to facilitate community interaction and expanded enterprises to provide trainees with more diverse work experiences.   

The Pogonip location will also serve as a national model and become the heart of HGP’s dynamic agriculture program for people who are experiencing homelessness.

The HGP runs two enterprises that generate revenue and provide work skills for the trainees. Their farm produces fruit and vegetables that are sold directly at their farm stand and through CSA subscriptions. Some of the harvest provides meals to the trainees and a good portion is donated through the Feed Two Birds program.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has transformed many of the HGP’s activities.

The HGP upgraded their online store and immediately received massive community support. Their CSA sold out immediately and they now operate a “virtual’ Farm Stand. Their community volunteer program continues to be suspended.

For the foreseeable future their main source of income will rely on community donations.

Making a donation at: https://homelessgardenproject.networkforgood.com/ will support the Project’s programs, including the transitional employment and job training program for people experiencing homelessness.

The HGP's farm relies on generous donations of equipment, tools, and materials from the farming community. Each dollar donated also allows for the Project to continue to adjust their operations to the Shelter in Place orders and for sharing food grown at the garden throughout the community.