New chapter for Homeless Garden Project

Most of us could not be more ready to turn the page on 2020, a terrible year in so many ways. As we move through a dark winter and search for signs of hope ahead, there is good news happening at the Homeless Garden Project: Pogonip Farm construction begins in 2021, thanks to a very successful capital campaign that has reached 100% of the $3.5 million goal.

Pogonip Farm, an idea that sprouted in 1998, will enable the Homeless Garden Project to triple the number of people served by its award-winning job training program for individuals experiencing homelessness that delivers an annual average of 90% success for securing stable housing and employment.

Supported by a strong partnership with the City of Santa Cruz, the new farm will be the permanent home of the Homeless Garden Project, following 25 years of operating on temporary land on Santa Cruz’s Westside. The City of Santa Cruz engaged the public in a process to determine uses of the Pogonip open space, conducted an environmental impact review and, in 1998, adopted the Pogonip Master Plan, including this site for the Homeless Garden Project.

Located on rolling meadowland within the Pogonip open space, Pogonip Farm will be a public benefit for the community because it will help tangibly address homelessness and provide an active presence in the greenbelt that will enhance security in the area. In fact, the farm is intended to serve as a national model, providing job training for people who are experiencing homelessness, volunteer opportunities and land stewardship through organic farming.

So much of 2020 has been about perseverance and grit in the face of challenges and change. The same has been true at times with the effort to build Pogonip Farm. Thanks to strong community support, generous local donors and passionate commitment to the vision for the farm, the Homeless Garden Project has been able to maintain its decadeslong commitment to sound science and best practices in organic farming.

That commitment continues through the construction process and planning for future farming operations. Throughout 2020, the Homeless Garden Project worked closely with highly qualified soil scientists, state and county regulators, and the City of Santa Cruz to identify and study areas of the Pogonip Open Space area that were used by the community nearly a century ago for skeet shooting activities. The resulting data and analysis enabled planners to clearly define the areas that are safe for organic urban farming.

Pogonip Farm will benefit from the Homeless Garden Project’s ongoing focus on sound science that supports stewardship, conservation and regenerative sustainable practices. The result will be a more bio- diverse ecosystem and increased health of the soils and the environment.

So, what organic farming is planned? Pogonip Farm will be home to row crops, fruit trees and more varieties of herbs and vegetables than the current farm supports. The increased production at the new farm will enable the Homeless Garden Project to provide new offerings for its popular Community Supported Agriculture program. As a CCOF-certified organic farm, Pogonip Farm will be in harmony with the natural ecosystems.

A dream of nearly 25 years is now a giant step closer to reality, thanks to the successful completion of the capital campaign fundraising effort. The 2021 start of construction at Pogonip Farm is just around the corner, with farming planned to begin the following spring.

The effort to build Pogonip Farm demonstrates some of the best of what our community is capable of: passion for helping those in need, partnership between government and the private sector, innovative and science-based ideas, and a commitment to improving our environment.

Cheers to hope and progress in the new year.