Growing Home

Chicago, IL

Growing Home believes that everyone deserves a good job, to eat well, and to live in a vibrant, supported community. They are a non-profit organic farm and social enterprise focused on using urban agriculture as a vehicle for workforce development and food access in their Englewood community of Chicago.

Their innovative workforce development programs aim to increase employment opportunities for individuals with justice involvement, low education, lack of work history, and other extreme barriers to workforce entry. Each year they enroll approximately 80 individuals seeking to gain job skills and secure long-term employment. Through hands-on field work, classroom training, and individualized case management, their paid 12-week program provides the tools, skills, and support participants need to find and keep good jobs. Growing Home also has additional programs including apprenticeship partnerships with local city colleges, and a Neighborhood Computer and Job Resource Center.

As well as a training space, Growing Home’s farms are an access point for affordable, healthy food and food education to their neighbors in Englewood. They grow over 200 varieties of vegetables, which is sold at affordable prices at their weekly Wood Street Farm Stand and other pop-up markets. In 2020, Growing Home began a neighborhood food box delivery program at no cost to Englewood residents.  Through cooking demonstrations, farm tours and events, and community outreach, they share with their customers and families how to integrate nutritious choices into our daily lives.

Since 2006, Growing Home has focused their work on the city’s South Side in Englewood, a community that has been greatly impacted by systemic racism and disinvestment.  The Englewood community faces a 35% unemployment rate and 1 in 3 residents are facing food insecurity. Growing Home is helping to redefine local, sustainable food systems as they operate Chicago’s first and only high­-production, USDA­-certified organic farms.