Farmers' Market at Testimony Ministries Affordable Housing

Affordable housing and homelessness

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service’s Food Access Research Atlas, the South Bay neighborhood of Wilmington, Los Angeles, is both low income and has low access to fresh food based on different measures of supermarket accessibility. Often dubbed “food deserts,” neighborhoods like Wilmington suffer from this lack of produce availability, with serious health consequences. This issue is compounded for individuals who have been impacted by the criminal legal system like those in our service population, most of whom have spent decades behind bars without access to fresh or healthy foods. Health outcomes for system-impacted people are disproportionately poor, in part due to the low quality food that is provided in prison. Los Angeles County’s affordable housing crisis only worsens these the health outcomes of the communities in and surrounding Wilmington, and those who are returning from incarceration without a safe place to live.

Our project will address both lack of access to basic needs such as fresh produce, and the lack of affordable housing options for system-impacted individuals. It will also provide on the job training employment for our transitional housing residents to help them get back on their feet, build a resume, and practice professionalism. To support the low income residents of Wilmington in gaining easier access to fresh produce and foster physical wellbeing, Testimony Ministries proposes to launch a pilot farmers’ market based out of our transitional housing site. Our formerly incarcerated residents will help run the market, building important career readiness skills while serving the community. The farmers market will operate on a monthly basis and will draw from local farms such as Alma Backyard Farms and food-rescue organizations in LA. It will be open to the public and will be advertised widely through our local partners to increase community participation. We believe housing should be more than just a bed: the Testimony House is designed to create community, build healthy relationships, and increase access to the resources folks need to establish a stable lasting foundation for their future. Our Testimony Living Environment offers peer support and mentorship, career development and individualized life skills training. We use a trauma informed approach, recognizing that returning citizens are at a strong disadvantage to successfully reintegrate into society without support.

Our project would contribute to a network of farmers’ markets across Los Angeles County, diversifying the pool of market-goers by targeting individuals returning from incarceration and serving low-income community members. It will increase Wilmington-area residents’ regular access to fresh produce, contributing to better nutrition and overall health among residents. The farmers market can serve as a focal point for building a sense of community with our transitional housing program, bringing residents and neighbors to foster connections and support networks. Farmers markets also benefit the broader community by supporting local businesses in Wilmington and across the County. Research shows that stable housing and access to supportive services significantly reduce recidivism rates among formerly incarcerated people. By providing a supportive environment and opportunities for economic stability, our project will make Los Angeles County a safer place by supporting peoples’ reintegration.

We define success for this project using two metrics: reentry milestones for housing program residents and increased access to fresh produce for local community members. This can be measured by program participants’ attainment of reentry milestones related to our supportive housing program such as gaining crucial identification documents, drivers licenses, employment, and family reunification. It can also be measured by the number of individuals receiving fresh food. In the future, we also hope to expand this project to our other transitional housing site, which is located in Lennox, Inglewood.