Growing Grounds Farm cultivating mental health, transitional employment for two decades | Chamber Spotlight | Chamber-spotlight

Since 2000, Transitions Mental Health Services has operated the farm to provide a supported, transitional, employment environment for individuals working through a mental health issue, or who are living with mental illness.

Cano explained that Transitions Mental Health Services has provided supportive services to clients impacted by mental health illness in northern Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties since 2000. The vocational services that the farm is part of, are just one piece of the association’s efforts that include supportive housing, the cultivation of community, and family support services.

“We have been able to develop like a nice collage of supportive services for community members that are struggling with mental health issues,” Cano said, while talking about his reasons for joining the team with TMHS.  Cano previously operated his own manufacturing business with 20 to 30 employees before he said he realized he wasn’t fulfilled by his chosen career path. 

“I felt a little more mission driven and it was really like a calling for me. That’s what got me excited about vocational services,” Cano explained. “Job and income is so important to people’s security, and family, and life; and so the kind of work environment that a business creates is so important to that.”

Working on the farm provides a supported transition for people on the return to the competitive workforce, with Cano saying that most employees will work on the farm anywhere from 6 months to 1 1/2 years. The nurturing work environment provides employees with physical labor, tactile and accomplishable tasks along with plenty of sun, a little rain and ocean breezes. 

“The magic of the farm is really a combination of a stress-free, supportive environment where you are coming into work, where you are not just doing physical labor but also providing some ‘hard-skills’ to start to move toward looking for regular employment,” Cano explained.

The first is by purchasing their products, the farm stand is open for business every Thursday from noon to 3 p.m. selling seasonal fruits and vegetables grown on-site or at their San Luis Obispo County nursery. 

Plant and flower sales are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The second is for local businesses to help fulfill the transitional effort of the farm, and explore the potential of Growing Grounds employees for future employment.

Cano said that local businesses create the career pathways for people leaving the farms.

“Where they are transitioning from a more supported environment, to finding a place for them whether it is a warehouse or a machine shop a retail store or any business that wants an employee that is a hard worker and is really going to focus on supporting their job as best they can – and that come with some skills,” Cano finished. 

Growing Grounds Farm is located at 820 West Foster Rd. near the corner of Foster and California Boulevard. Learn more about their work, history and shop their online store at www.t-mha.org.