Help our proven transitional employment program continue to make an IMPACT

Your donation supports trainees on their path to stable housing, employment, and building community

Help our proven transitional employment program continue to make an IMPACT image

"After spending two years unhoused, I found more than job training at the Homeless Garden Project—I found a place to belong.​" - Damien Camany

Every gift to the Impact Fund helps provide paid transitional employment for our trainees. Those wages are much more than compensation for work completed—they are an investment in dignity, confidence, and possibility.

In an article published by Lookout Santa Cruz, one of our recent graduates, Damien Camany, shared what the Homeless Garden Project meant to him:

"I am forever grateful to the HGP for providing me tools for personal growth and meaningful contribution as I transitioned from living a life on the street to a life of stability and belonging. It offered me – as it does each of its 25 annual trainees who learn to work on its organic farm – a chance to rediscover my worth and sense of self. " - Damien Camany from What the Homeless Garden Project taught me about belonging in Santa Cruz published by Lookout Santa Cruz

The people who come to Homeless Garden Project aren't looking for a handout. They're looking for an opportunity— to work, to contribute, to earn a paycheck, to rebuild their confidence, and an opportunity to become part of a community that sees them for who they are, not for the hardships they've experienced.

  • Last year, 94% of our graduates secured stable jobs and housing.
  • We grow thousands of pounds of fresh, organic produce annually which is distributed to nonprofits throughout Santa Cruz County serving hundreds of our neighbors.

To read more on Damiens article, What the Homeless Garden Project taught me about belonging in Santa Cruz click the link below.

https://lookout.co/what-the-homeless-garden-projec...

"I am forever grateful to the HGP for providing me tools for personal growth and meaningful contribution as I transitioned from living a life on the street to a life of stability and belonging. It offered me – as it does each of its 25 annual trainees who learn to work on its organic farm – a chance to rediscover my worth and sense of self. " - Damien Camany from What the Homeless Garden Project taught me about belonging in Santa Cruz published by Lookout Santa Cruz