PROBLEM
As of 2023, Washington DC suffers from the 2nd highest overdose death rates in America. DC has historically had high rates of incarceration, and homelessness/housing insecurity continues to plague the region. These symptoms of poverty share the common root cause of generational disconnection. When individuals are divested of opportunities to participate in a growing economy and are forced to either resort to survival outside of the law or become unhoused, the individual becomes disconnected. When parents are separated from their children, whether from addiction, working multiple jobs, incarceration, etc. the family unit is disconnected. When communities are too busy worried about criminality born of desperate poverty, the community is disconnected. The faces change and the individual stories may differ, but they share common thread. The root issues, which can be traced back generations to systemic policies like redlining, slavery, and the “war on drugs”, yielded numerous traumas that have been inherited by our grandparents and are being passed on to our children.
SOLUTION
In the beginning:
Soul Cultivators is preparing to rent a house in Washington, DC and establish a therapeutic community with 5 men. Our holistic approach will address the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health of the participants.
Further, we are partnering with a local farm where the program participants will have the therapeutic benefit of being away from toxic environments, and will learn to work together as a community in the fresh air and natural elements. The proven therapeutic benefits of contact with the soil and animals, learning new skills, and eating the healthy food grown by their own work will contribute to the overall purpose and well being of our participants.
In the future:
Soul Culivators will purchase farmland outside of DC where particiants will live and work. By cultivating the land, residents will be able to not only feed themselves, but also generate revenue towards the goal of a self-sustaining operation. Soul Cultivators is and will continue to operate at no cost to the participants.
In addition, our program participants will receive both academic instruction, and marketable skills training. Program participants will be prepared to be productive members of society upon completing the program, with the character and skillset to grow and thrive in community.
The Crisis in NumbersKEY STATISTICS
Drug Abuse
Homelessness
Temporary Housing
HOLISTIC HEALTH
The body and the mind are inextricably linked, so as we address physical needs through routine exercise, sleep, nutritiously dense foods, water, fresh air, sunlight, nature, and meaningful work, we at the same time address many of the mental/emotional health issues such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, which negatively impacts executive functioning. When this is combined with competent, person-centered counseling that also incorporates the individual’s spiritual beliefs and practices, we increase the likelihood of success. The spiritual and social dimensions are closely linked to people of color. Healing happens within the context of the community. For many, leaving dysfunctional families for a time, for a chance to become healthy is a necessary step. It is important that the aforementioned dimensions precede the financial dimension as they provide a strong foundation to build on.
ECONOMIC RE-ENFRANCHISEMENT
Justice in the United States cannot be honestly treated without consideration of economics as a tool. It is easy to look at ethnic economic disparities in our time and conclude that people of color are simply less motivated or less savvy, thereby not taking into account the systemic economic disenfranchisement over generations that have informed the present mindset and condition. One way this has played out is through redlining and its latest iteration: gentrification. Economic re-enfranchisement will not only have to provide opportunities to those affected by these previous policies, but also provide the capital and means that were actively stolen and passively withheld.
Our innovation provides access to real estate via a community land trust that will afford the opportunity to build the generational wealth that was previously out of reach. All these factors considered, this model is radically comprehensive because it is addressing the effects of longitudinal systemic oppression.
Our focus is on the DC metropolitan area, which includes Baltimore and northern Virginia. Specifically we are targeting individuals from communities impacted by redlining, urban blight and displacement due to gentrification. Our program location is in rural Maryland.
Our team believes in the vision of Soul Cultivators and are passionate about seeing it come to fruition. Our team is motivated by solution based results, and are therefore volunteering their time, expertise and energy in order to materialize our innovation.