Growing Home provides job training for homeless and low-income individuals in Chicago through a social enterprise business based on organic agriculture. Our program provides experiential learning opportunities and employment in the horticulture field as well as a unique job readiness curriculum that helps reintroduces participants back into the workforce.

100% of the proceeds we make from sales of organic produce are used to improve our training program and pay for upkeep of our farm sites.

Growing Home was started in 1992 by Les Brown, Director of Policy for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, who recognized that not only was the critical lack of living-wage jobs one of the major factors that leads to homelessness, but that a sense of purpose was also a necessary component of breaking out of the cycle of homelessness.

He wrote that “Homeless people are often without roots. They’re not tied down, not connected, not part of their family anymore. Our organic farming program is a way for them to connect with nature – to plant and nurture roots over a period of time. When you get involved in taking responsibility for caring for something, creating an environment that produces growth, then it helps you build self-esteem.” Although Les passed away in 2005, his vision lives on as the organization he started continues to grow.

Land to start the program was acquired in Marseilles, IL and Chicago through the McKinney Act, which offers Federal surplus land for organizations working with homeless individuals, and the training program was piloted in 2002.

Growing Home is committed to helping individuals transform their lives.

Since its inception, Growing Home has worked towards this by providing a transitional job program that lets previously-incarcerated and previously-homeless individuals prepare to re-enter the workforce not only by teaching job skills, but also by providing the chance to engage in what is for many a transformational experience. Our program is different from other workforce development programs because of our intense focus on the transformational possibilities inherent in learning to nurture and grow one’s own food.