Community gardens provide numerous benefits to residents and to assisted sites. Among the reasons our experts gave for creating a community garden at an assisted site, community gardens:
Give residents access to fresh, healthy food;Reduce residents’ monthly food costs;Improve resident health;Create social activities for isolated seniors;Reduce crime and drug activity;Teach residents basic vocational skills;Empower youth and disabled residents;Encourage resident self-reliance;Create income opportunities for residents;Encourage water conservation, waste reduction, and recycling;Beautify site grounds; andIncrease site and overall area property values.
Many new construction sites include community gardens in the site’s design, because owners often get incentives through financing, zoning, and green design programs, as well as state or federal tax credits under programs such as the Low-Income Housing and New Market Tax Credit programs, says Shaina Burkett, Human Services Program Specialist at the Denver Housing Authority.
Comments