The Homeless Garden Project provides transitional employment and training to homeless people in organic gardens and related enterprises. The HGP began in May of 1990 with the purpose of providing meaningful work, wages, and a place of safety and beauty to homeless people. The Homeless Garden Project operates two enterprises, a Community Supported Agriculture program with harvests from June through November, and a Women's Organic Flower Enterprise which produces everlasting flower wreaths and handmade beeswax candles. WOFE products are sold online, in select Santa Cruz retail locations, in national catalogs, and at the HGP Winter Holiday Store. Homeless Garden Project provides internships to UCSC students, volunteer opportunities to the wider community, and tours to school groups.
Some participants return for a second and third year.
The training program addresses horticulture, farming and design skills, as well as basic job skills. Project staff work with participants to identify and achieve personal goals and to connect with existing community resources. HGP farms on temporary sites totaling 3.63 acres.