Our innovation will remediate root issues of poverty that directly relate to access and stability. The effects of poverty often include instability, impaired personal agency, substandard living, and ultimately homelessness. This has a multigenerational impact. Based on the body of knowledge available, an innovative holistic approach is the best practice for an honest, competent, and ethical intervention to this issue. Individuals who were raised in poverty often live with impaired executive functioning faculties, which are necessary for overcoming poverty. Psycho-educational, audio-visual, and hands-on, experiential learning will be used. Learning from the process of planting, growing, and distributing produce from start to finish will exercise those executive faculties not limited to planning, agency, problem-solving, and time management. Group and individual therapy and spirituality development will help bring healing to past traumas.
Nutritional literacy and a farm-based diet will address issues at a cellular level. A holistic approach to rehabilitation and recovery services will redirect individuals who are repeat offenders and help build productive & functional citizens. Once the root issues are healed, a person will experience positive growth. Just as vines require a trellis to continue to grow and bear fruit, supportive employment and a supportive community land trust will make possible what may have been otherwise difficult to imagine.
Our innovation solves the root problems of access and maintenance. Real lasting change takes time. In the physical health dimension, it is quick and easy to take a pill for an ailment, but because the root cause of the symptom hasn’t been remedied, relief will be short-lived. It takes more time, energy, and resources to make the lifestyle changes that are often necessary. Our innovation is solving challenges such as generational poverty, recidivism due to lack of options, and relapse due to adverse environments. These problems invariably result in additional issues, such as poor health and educational outcomes and low skills toward employability. Our innovation addresses the root causes of these issues by offering skills training, counseling services, spirituality development, conflict resolution, and rehabilitation services. We overcome our challenges and barriers holistically by developing the mental, emotional, spiritual, financial/professional, and physical aspects of our participants.