CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE and Master Gardeners in Alameda County promote healthy people and communities: Working with South County Homeless Project residents to grow fresh vegetables in a therapeutic green space.
The Issue
California has one of the highest populations of unhoused people in the nation - 44 out of every 10,000 people do not have stable housing. Being unhoused is strongly tied to food insecurity, including a lack of access to fresh foods and preferred fruits and vegetables. South County Homeless Project is a 24-bed residence for individuals experiencing homelessness. Residents stay from three months to a year and receive support in finding employment and permanent housing. The residence is equipped with a therapeutic garden space, but at the beginning of 2023, it had been overgrown after years of disuse.
How UC Delivers
When Alameda County CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE decided to restart their adult garden nutrition programming, the neglected garden space at South County Homeless Project presented itself as a great place to start. A nutrition educator who had provided nutrition classes at the site for nearly six years led the collaboration to renovate the large garden onsite. Invaluable support for the garden came from Alameda County Master Gardener's (ACMG) Community Garden Team, who designed the garden and enlisted volunteers to evaluate and amend the existing soil. CFHL, UCCE supplied soil while ACMG provided seedlings. Master Gardeners also lent their expertise to the residents with the workshop, “Gardening Basics”. The nutrition educator, residents, and ACMG volunteers worked together to plant the garden. The team planted 19 varieties of vegetables, fruits, and herbs. As the garden grew, nutrition classes continued with the curriculum, “Fresh from the Garden.” Food from the garden was harvested regularly and enjoyed fresh by residents and incorporated by the chef into house meals.
"One of the chef's used the zucchini in the pasta sauce, it was so good! I didn't really know you could use it that way!" -Resident
The Impact
Residents and staff completed a brief written questionnaire. Ten residents participated in the “Fresh from the Garden” classes at the time of the garden renovations. New residents take part in ongoing garden education, and many residents and staff have increased their use of the space. Those who participated in gardening reported benefits such as learning new ways of preparing and eating local, seasonal vegetables and increased acceptance or awareness of different produce. The food grown in the garden was among the most popular benefits of the garden; the staff chef said that they were able to incorporate many vegetables from the garden into house meals. Residents and staff also stated that being in the garden helped reduce stress and that it was nice to spend time in a peaceful space.
"(The garden) relaxes me from stress. I love the garden." -Resident gardener
The transformation of the yard into a peaceful green space will continue to benefit current and future residents. Those who choose to garden can experience the physical and mental benefits of gardening, such as increased strength and social connection. For residents not interested in or unable to participate in gardening, simply spending time in a green space can have many positive effects on well-being. And by involving residents in planning what vegetables and fruits are planted, they can regain agency over food choice that is often lacking when experiencing homelessness. Overall, the garden renovation and classes connect to the UC ANR public value of promoting healthy people and communities and the condition change "improved community health and wellness" as well as "improved access to positive built and natural environments".
Currently, in April 2024, the garden beds are being prepped and planted with a new group of residents. Seedlings will be planted in April and May. Looking forward, the goals for the garden include adding irrigation to make maintenance much easier. Garden organizers hope to host a Master Food Preservers workshop to help residents learn to process and store produce. Given the success of South County Homeless Project's garden, the CFHL team hopes to bring gardens to similar sites throughout the county as part of the program's adult and senior garden initiative. Another longer-term goal of the initiative is to develop a certificate or training program where residents can receive credits for working in the garden.
"I love the garden and when the cook cooks the vegetables, they taste amazing. I am thankful for this garden and for having the CalFresh Healthy Living team...thank you." -Resident gardener
References
- Thompson R. (2018). Gardening for health: a regular dose of gardening. Clinical medicine (London, England), 18(3), 201–205. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6334070/
- Easton, Corinna, et al. "The experience of food insecurity during and following homelessness in high-income countries: A systematic review and meta-aggregation." Health & Social Care in the Community 30.6 (2022): e3384-e3405. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hsc.13939
- The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress. Department of Housing and Urban Development Data. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf