Fresno Horticultural Therapeutic Community Centers and Gardens

1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The County of Fresno, on behalf of the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), Mental
Health Services Act (MHSA), Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) component, is
providing funding to enhance the development of Horticultural Therapeutic Community
Centers (HTCC) (community gardens) or to enhance existing community gardens as a
platform for peer support, mental health delivery and engagement on matters that relate
to mental well being and mental health services, and to deliver mental health PEI
activities in traditionally and culturally relevant environments to un-served and
underserved suburban and rural communities.
Under this Master Agreement, DBH anticipates awarding additional contracts to ensure
that the horticulture-based PEI community centers are developed in geographically
dispersed locations of the County; thereby facilitating the delivery of mental health
information to a variety of unserved and underserved communities. In addition,
COUNTY encourages the ongoing collaboration of various community members and
service providers to further facilitate the delivery of PEI and other mental health services
and activities to those unserved and underserved throughout the County.
This HTCC project includes:
1) The development of geographically dispersed community gardens, or enhance
existing community gardens with a focus on mental health support/prevention and
early intervention. Gardens shall be planned, developed and maintained to reflect
the interests, cultural character and values of the targeted community members.
Gardens may include customary fruits and vegetables, and/or may be ornamental or
park-like in nature, such as a flower garden with walking paths, water and rock
features, and sitting areas.
2) The provision of covered shelters at community garden sites:
 As an informal meeting place and neighborhood resource center for the
delivery of mental health peer support services;
 As a place for interaction and communication with Community Health Workers
(CHW) and other formal/informal trusted individuals from the community; and
 As a place for outreach and engagement of mental health related issues and
other human service needs, as required of each community.
3) The provision of a designated liaison(s) to fulfill the role of ‘coordinator’ for
community garden sites and related mental health support activities to ensure
integration of the garden, community members, and mental health peer support
services as identified by the California State approved Fresno County PEI plan,
which is available at:
http://www.co.fresno.ca.us/uploadedFiles/Departments/Behavioral_Health/MHSA.
TARGET POPULATION:
Traditionally un-served, underserved and inappropriately served communities targeted
in this HTCC project include but are not limited to:
 Native Americans in the eastern foothills and metropolitan areas of Fresno;

2.  Hmong/Southeast Asians in the central and southwest Fresno metropolitan
area;
 African American communities in the west Fresno metropolitan area;
 Underserved Latino communities in west Fresno County;
 Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Questioning (LGBTQ); and
 Homeless and destitute communities.