Services for the UnderServed (S:US) provides beekeeping and therapeutic horticulture programs at a supportive housing community in Brooklyn, NY. Check out this 2-minute feature on CBS News New York for peek into the space, and learn how New Yorkers with intellectual/developmental disabilities, mental health challenges, and histories of homelessness gain valuable job skills, confidence, and a sense of purpose.
You’ll hear the stories of several community members, including Christina Bowie, a beekeeper in training:
She recalls the journey it took to get here. An elevator accident causing a coma, a mental health breakdown, and a referral for help. ‘Back and forth to the hospital; I just couldn’t hold a job.’ She is now employed to care for the garden like a true busy bee. She helps grow around 500 pounds of eggplant, tomatoes, and corn every season, distributed for free to her community. ‘I love to eat what I grow.’
Services for the UnderServed (S:US) envisions a city where everyone has a roof over their head, is healthy, productive and can enjoy the social connections that create a life of purpose. Founded in 1978, S:US works with tens of thousands of individuals and their families every year to create pathways to rich and productive lives by offering housing, employment, skills-building, treatment, and recovery services. Learn more on their website.