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A 40-acre farm just outside of Lexington’s city limits offers a unique form of therapy for survivors of intimate partner abuse from 17 central Kentucky counties. Photo by Clary Estes
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Community supported agriculture (CSA) flower subscriptions allow subscribers to receive weekly bunches of flowers while supporting the mission of GreenHouse17. Photo by Clary Estes
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Community supported agriculture (CSA) flower subscriptions allow subscribers to receive weekly bunches of flowers while supporting the mission of GreenHouse17. Photo by Clary Estes
On a peaceful 40-acre farm just outside Lexington, early summer flowers are in full bloom and seeds have been sown for fall harvest – but the farm known as GreenHouse17 is growing more than just plants.
A domestic violence program serving 17 counties in central Kentucky, GreenHouse17 provides a nurturing respite and safe haven – both physically and spiritually – for victims of intimate partner abuse and their children. From safe housing and legal advocacy to budget counseling and medical and dental treatment, the nonprofit organization offers a multitude of services for survivors.An on-site art room, sewing room and yoga room are all part of the available hands-on services, but perhaps its most unique approach to healing is the therapeutic horticulture program the nonprofit introduced in 2011.
“We learned very quickly [that the farm] was a very healing avenue for a lot of our families,” explained the organization’s executive director Darlene Thomas.
Participation in the horticulture program is optional, with opportunities ranging from growing and arranging flowers for GreenHouse17’s flower subscription/CSA program to producing and harvesting crops that are used to feed residents. Aiding in the development and sales of GreenHouse17’s line of handmade candles, soaps, bath salts and other beauty and wellness products is another popular way that residents and others seeking refuge at the nonprofit can participate. The products are made on-site using herbs and other products grown on the farm, and sold online via GreenHouse17.org and etsy.com, as well as at local markets and fairs.
According to Beckah Fulcher, a staff member with the organization who oversees the development of the product line, the entire process – from workshopping scent combinations to naming products and designing packaging – helps participants develop not only job skills and a source of income, but also a sense of self-sufficiency.
“It’s a different way to build relationships,” said Fulcher.
“It motivates people, gives them a reason to get up and something to look forward to,” she continued. “It definitely affects the mood of the house.”
GreenHouse17 executive director Darlene Thomas and staffers Christina Lane and Jessica Ballard (L-R) stand in one of the farm’s six large hoop houses. Photos by Clary Estes
A Long and Winding Road
While GreenHouse17’s farm program might be bustling today, the road to the organization’s agricultural model was not exactly a straight line.
When Thomas first heard about the 40-acre property where the nonprofit is currently housed, “everybody told me not to come,” she says.
“It was too far out, not on a bus line and not near businesses,” she said. “[There were] all these reasons why we shouldn’t [locate a domestic violence shelter there] – but every time we stepped foot on this property, we realized why we should.
“We thought, ‘What a perfect home for survivors to heal and their children to have space to run and be kids, and for families to rebuild,’” she added.
Ultimately, Thomas – who has 28 years of experience working with survivors of intimate partner abuse – trusted her instinct.
“I have worked in urban programs and [survivors just] don’t have space,” she explained. “You put a lot of traumatized people with multitudes of issues and backgrounds and histories all together with no room to move. It’s not always ideal.”
In 2005, Thomas and other organization founders secured the land and launched the nonprofit – originally called the Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program – and officially moved out to the farm six months later. Thomas said she’s found that the expanse of land not only gives survivors both the physical and psychological space to breath and rebuild, but it also increases the inclusivity and accessibility to the population the organization serves.
“We serve 17 counties, 16 of which are rural – our families from [rural] areas aren’t necessarily going to want to go to downtown Lexington,” Thomas said. “If we were going to serve 17 counties, we needed to be accessible to all 17.”
The close proximity to central Lexington makes the location convenient for the more urban population the organization serves, while providing a peaceful respite from city life.
“Our urban dwellers love being out on the 40 acres – they are watching horses and going out on the farm; there are plants and greenery; and [their] children get to play safely,” Thomas said.
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The impact of the horticulture program on the overall operations of the nonprofit was the impetus for its name change to GreenHouse17 in 2013. Photo by Clary Estes
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The impact of the horticulture program on the overall operations of the nonprofit was the impetus for its name change to GreenHouse17 in 2013. Photo by Clary Estes
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The impact of the horticulture program on the overall operations of the nonprofit was the impetus for its name change to GreenHouse17 in 2013. Photo by Clary Estes
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The impact of the horticulture program on the overall operations of the nonprofit was the impetus for its name change to GreenHouse17 in 2013. Photo by Clary Estes
Cultivating land and spirit
From the beginning, Thomas understood that the farm would allow survivors and their families a place to both cultivate the land and have the land cultivate their spirit in return. And so, slowly but surely GreenHouse17’s farm program came to bloom – albeit, after a bit of trial and error.
The seeds of the farm program started simply as a handful of raised beds for growing vegetables that would help provide healthy food for the shelter, but even that seemingly simple project started off a bit rocky.
“The raised bed garden in the first year was a complete disaster,” Thomas recalled. “They were totally overgrown, and nobody wanted to take care of it because no one knew how to take care of it.”
Eventually, she said, staff members found that children staying at the shelter were picking and eating carrots straight out of the beds. Tomatoes started finding their way into the building’s kitchen as well.
“Even though the beds themselves looked terrible and overgrown, things were growing from them, and the kids and the families were [eating from them],” Thomas said. “We thought, ‘well, maybe we’re onto something.’”
From those overgrown, unassuming raised beds has grown one of the most unique and effective domestic abuse programs in the country. With the help of GreenHouse17’s assistant director, Diane Fleet, who headed the development of the farm through regional partnerships with programs like Grow Appalachia and the Berea College Fund, the program has expanded immensely, eventually hiring two full-time employees to help oversee it.The CSA flower subscription program has nearly doubled since last year, and the original eight raised garden beds have made way for six high tunnel “hoop houses” that help produce food nearly year-round. The horticulture program is currently the subject of a two-year, $450,000 research study geared to measure the healing effects on participants. Conducted in partnership between Fleet and University of Kentucky researchers Diane Follingstad and Claire Renzetti, the research study is comparing treatment outcomes of women who participate in the therapeutic horticulture program with women who stay at the shelter but do not participate in the farm activities.
While the study is still in progress, many staff members and others who have seen the program unfold extol its benefits, which certainly support the fundamental core of GreenHouse17’s philosophy. Not only has it provided a sustainable model for operations and a therapeutic resource for survivors, but the program also provides job skills and even an income source for survivors as they rebuild their lives.
“We really consider ourselves a ‘value added’ program, in that we believe our families and [GreenHouse17] add value to this community, and that the community adds value to all of us,” Thomas said.
The impact of the horticulture program on the overall operations of the nonprofit was the impetus for its name change to GreenHouse17 in 2013.
“We had started the farm and products and realized our name did not reflect our work,” Thomas said. “We wanted our story to be positive and hopeful – a focus on the possibilities.”
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GreenHouse17’s product line, Handmade By Survivors, features soap, candles, lip balm and bath salts. The products are developed by survivors of domestic abuse and staff members at GreenHouse17. Photo by Clary Estes
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GreenHouse17’s product line, Handmade By Survivors, features soap, candles, lip balm and bath salts. The products are developed by survivors of domestic abuse and staff members at GreenHouse17. Photo by Clary Estes
GreenHouse17
The GreenHouse17 facility features 32 emergency shelter beds, as well as multi-tiered housing options for families getting their lives back on track. The program has also developed a number of community outreach activities throughout the year, including its annual Luna Fest, a film festival of short films by, for and about women; “u-pick” nights, where the community is invited to the farm to pick flowers; and a farm-to-table program, where community members can invite GreenHouse17 to come cook in their home for them and their friends while learning more about the farm and its work, among other events.
More information on GreenHouse17’s flower subscription program, which follows the model of traditional community supported agriculture (CSA) programs, is available at greenhouse17.org/our-farm/store. The website also features a link to purchase candles, soaps, bath salts and other beauty and wellness products from GreenHouse17’s line of products, called Handmade by Survivors.