The scrub-covered lot at 1722 Lewis Road in Camarillo may not yet look like a garden, but in a few months, succulents will fill one section and newly minted gardeners will be tending to a variety of plants in other sections.
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 at its Dec. 12 meeting to lease the land to Ventura-based nonprofit Turning Point Foundation for a new job training program called Growing Works. Turning Point offers programs for people living with mental illness.
Growing Works will use horticultural therapy, or therapeutic gardening, as its focal point. Adults with mental illnesses will learn gardening, teamwork and sales skills as paid employees of the wholesale nursery, also called Growing Works.
“One of the most important things for people that are managing their mental illness is to socialize and be productive, to really have a sense of purpose, and that’s what this provides,” said Suki Sir, marketing and fund development manager for Turning Point Foundation.
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