Homelessness is a huge problem in the United States, but farming help reduces it!
Every year, at least 2.5 million people experience homelessness in the United States.
Most people become homeless, because they make an unchanging low wage while housing prices continue to increase.
Others become homeless because they lose their job and are unable to find another.
There are many organizations to help homeless people get back on their feet, with a variety of different approaches.
One approach uses farming to provide valuable job training, among other benefits.
In this article, you’ll learn how farming reduces homelessness.
One way farming reduces homelessness, is by providing homeless people with valuable job training.
The skills used for producing and preparing food can be transferred to a variety of fields, which makes participants in farm programs attractive to employers.
Plus, it provides them with an opportunity to gain work experience, which makes them more likely to be hired.
Since joblessness is one of the biggest causes of homelessness, being able to find a job is a huge step toward rehabilitation.
Additionally, many homeless people face discrimination and isolation from other members of their community.
Bringing homeless people onto a farm for training, gives them a place to escape from this discrimination.
A 2016 study, found that homeless people who participated in farm training programs, thought of the farm, as a “safe space” from stigmatization and surveillance.
As a result, they’re able to socialize more with other people, allowing them to practice their social skills, in order to have an easier transition back into the community.
In addition to job training, farming also provides them with soft skills that are valued by employers.
Some soft skills that farming provides are following instructions, communicating with coworkers, problem solving, flexibility and time management
Additionally, many farm programs for homeless people provide wages and meals.
When they start making an income again, they’re able to start investing in themselves to become more hirable by employers.
The meals gives them better health, less stress and the ability to focus on finding an income, rather than staying alive.
For example, one farming rehabilitation program in Santa Cruz, California, has had so much success that 100% of its graduates in 2019 got jobs and 78% found housing.
The program, called Homeless Garden Project, hires homeless people to work on a 3-acre organic farm for 20 hours per week for one year.
It also provides participants with a social worker and four meals per week, to ensure a successful result at the end of the program.
In addition to helping homeless people rehabilitate, farms can provide healthy nutritious food to shelters, food banks and other nonprofits.
For example, Homeless Garden Project has donated more than 6,000 pounds of produce from the farm to local non-profits, that are also combatting homelessness.
To learn more about how farming reduces homelessness, check out our article, “How a Container Farm Feeds the Homeless.”
Even a small farm can make a huge impact. If you want to start farming to make a difference, visit our website or call 602-753-3469, to learn more about how you can get a ready-to-go prebuilt farm delivered to you!
