La Casa Norte | Humboldt Park – Chicago, IL

In partnership with Glencoe Union Church, The Organic Gardener designed and built this courtyard raised bed vegetable garden for La Casa Norte’s Solid Ground Supportive Housing Program headquarters. Solid Ground is Chicago’s first bilingual “housing first” support program for homeless young men, ages 16-21. Utilizing the Solid Ground house’s courtyard in Humboldt Park, this garden serves as a communal space uniting residents around a common goal – growing food. The garden acts as a kind of “living laboratory” for residents to learn the basics of nutrition, agriculture, and food prep, and to explore careers in gardening, landscaping, and urban farming. Since its 2010 installation, our team has been consistently involved, building relationships with the residents and working with them to maintain their urban garden.