Hydrofarm for the Homeless | Nova Hydroculture Systems

“HydroFarm for the Homeless”

A Human Revitalization Project

Created by

Erik Smith @ Nova Hydroculture Systems

PROUD U.S. Marine

SEMPER FIDELIS

Right now in the USA and all over the world, we have people that have no where to go, no one to rely upon, and often no shelter from the harsh unforgiving elements. They are often viewed as a drain on resources, and often cannot get the assistance they need and are subject to dying due to drugs, starvation, stress, crime, sickness, and poor living conditions and worse…we refer to these people as “homeless”. This project intends to re-invest in our most valued resource…MAN & WOMAN.

"We're not just growing food, we're growing people."

"HydroFarm for the Homeless" is a Drug & Alcohol Free Program that intends to have paid volunteer occupants grow hydroponic & organic food at an exponential rate, to supplement the growth we miss from regional farmers and their seasonal crops. Our program can produce up to 3-4 harvests a year from each greenhouse, while providing shelter and rehab resources to our "live-in employees". We will interview potential candidates to board our paid Live-In volunteer gardener program. We will observe, monitor, and then approach homeless individuals living on the street. Offer them a meal and conversation, and if qualified, may be invited to join our program. We will provide a comfortable living space, with an attached greenhouse & provided training, community center, attached to a community of gardeners on the same journey, while also providing a community service; growing food for ourselves and more! We will work with public services to provide access to public transportation, connect with Veterans Affairs, UNICEF, Salvation Army, Goodwill, and other charitable donors for clothing, supplies, or financial donations to keep our program alive. Our complex will have a high-speed network installed, with low-latency high-resolution network cameras for safety & training purposes, and offer free "restricted" Wi-Fi to our community.

Once we achieve multiple harvests, we will be able to trade with local meat markets, sell our product to local grocers, and use a portion of our bounty to feed our own community. All while rehabilitating our most valued and often neglected resource. We're not just growing food, we're growing people!

Example:

In the Dry & Hot streets of the suburbs of Las Vegas Nevada, sprawls a Homeless community of individuals that are living in public drainage ditches in the tunnels beneath the streets, literally risking everything, including their lives to have a place to live away from the heat. But if it were during the monsoon seasons, then they have a high chance of death due to severe and sudden flooding, and also losing everything they have to the amount of rain in any given area of the city. Our LAUNCH is set to begin in the streets of Las Vegas Nevada; to take these people from the street, properly vetted as safe and can be identified by ID/birth certificate, etc.

PROJECT DETAILS

"HydroFarm for the Homeless" will be a Drug & Alcohol free, self-improvement therapy plan for the homeless community; nestled on a 5+ Acre complex, in a large U shaped / horseshoe shape design, consisting of:

120 fully Equipped Tiny-houses with Greenhouses attached to each house, on an intricate water-farm with our own onsite independent water treatment & filtration system
Community Center w/ 24hr Convenience Store Access
Learning Center Library
2 Playgrounds
2 Picnic areas
Security Office
Receiving & Processing Office
2 water towers with umbrellas to catch rainwater when applicable
high-speed network with security cameras installed for safety & training purposes
Free "Restricted" Wi-Fi accessible to all community members

Our Project is ever-growing, so details here may change.

We're not perfect...we ALL need to grow alongside the plants we help cultivate.

1. OVERVIEW: We will have 20 family Tiny-homes, and 100 individual/couple Tiny-homes; This configuration can be changed to meet the needs of the community. Each home and our community center will be equipped with solar panels to reduce our carbon footprint. This project will be treated at first as a “lottery”, so that people are chosen at random and setup to be as diverse as possible. Homeless & former Military/Veterans, and former public office homeless will be given priority, as it is important to give back to those that served, but we intend to reach as many people, as “fairly” as possible. It is likely at first, we will begin with those that are in extremely poor living conditions. This role is a Paid-Volunteer position and they can choose to leave our program at their discretion. If former volunteers wish to return to our program after non-completion, they will return to the pool of applicants/volunteers.

2. TINY-HOME: Each Tiny-Home will be Air-Conditioned and equipped with the essentials a person or family needs to survive & thrive, such as Mini-Stove, Fridge, Sink, Bathroom, Washer/Dryer, Cabinets, Closets, Furniture, Bed(s), and Objects will be neatly secured to the home to prevent theft or destruction. Homes will be designed with a Swiss-minded design for small comforts that are tucked away and can be unfolded from a cabinet to be used. Since this is a tiny home, space is limited, but will be designed to be as comfortable as possible.

3. GREENHOUSE: Our Tiny-Home units will have its own greenhouse, approximately 25t long, and 20 ft wide, with an simple yet intricate water delivery system throughout the greenhouse and supplemental Quantum LED lighting for daylight savings time, on a State-of-the-art timing system. Every greenhouse will be equipped either with DWC (deep water culture) 20+ hydroponic feeding systems that are uniquely designed by Nova Hydroculture Systems, attached to 4 separate 25 gallon reservoirs, or unique pineapple tree setups to grow smaller leaf vegetables in greater numbers. Every 7-10 greenhouses will be scheduled to grow a particular vegetable, and we can achieve a harvest of every 3 to 3.5 months. Our initial supply of water will be delivered to the complex by tanker trucks. Every system flush / harvest, the drainage water will be pushed through our unique drainage filtration system, to collect all of the nutrients that develops as salts at the bottom of the reservoirs, filter and treat the water and bring it back up to local code for drinking and plant use - and re-distribute the water back into our environment; nothing is wasted! We can also use the nutrient-salts to trade to soil growers to put in their plants as additional stores of nutrients.

4. THERAPY: In the Hydrofarm for the Homeless program, therapy serves as a critical foundation for the transition from homelessness to stability. Each participant will begin with one therapy session per week, which can be either in a group setting or one-on-one, depending on individual needs. Group therapy will foster a sense of community and shared experiences, offering a safe space for individuals to connect and support one another. Individual therapy, conducted in the comfort of their assigned greenhouses, will provide a more personalized approach, allowing for deeper exploration of personal challenges and growth. Through these sessions, counselors will assess the progress of participants and identify those who may require additional support. The aim is to address underlying psychological issues, build resilience, and equip participants with the emotional tools necessary for reintegration into society. By nurturing both their mental health and their agricultural skills, we hope to cultivate not just crops, but also a renewed sense of purpose and belonging. Over time, the therapy component of the program will evolve to meet the changing needs of the community, ensuring that each individual is supported throughout their journey. Ultimately, our goal is to help participants grow alongside the plants they tend, transforming into empowered, contributing members of society.

5. COMMUNITY CENTER / KITCHEN / DAILY & HOLIDAY MEAL SERVICES | 24-HR SNACK BAR: Our live-in volunteer gardeners will have access to a on-site community center that will offer team building events, We will offer daily & holiday meal services, special event hosting, educational events/classes, therapy events/classes, & peaceful religious gatherings welcomed from all religion types, and a community playground for outside activities. Those that were not able to join us for the final meal of the day, can purchase a pre-packaged meal at a discounted price in the 24-HR Convenience store, purchased from their earnings. New members that do not yet receive their bi-weekly payroll, will receive vouchers for after-hour meals during that time; and encouraged to join everyone for meal services during regular serving times.

5a. Community Outreach Clause: Once our new volunteer employees are settled and acclimated to their new home (3-6mo). They will be encouraged to perform community service to other homeless citizens, providing first-aid, meal services, toiletries, clothing donations, and more. This will also encourage our employees to speak to other homeless citizens that are eager to rehabilitate, to join our volunteer program.

5b. Learning Center Library: Our community of children and adults, of all ages, need a place to go to learn about the world around them. To learn the basics of Academic studies; Grammar, Math, History, Science, Art, and beyond! To become informed, to grow alongside the crops their parents help cultivate. Pairing with other charitable organizations, we could provide Amazon Kids tablets to each child to install educational apps to follow along with daily curriculums. We're not just growing food, we're growing people!

6. PAYROLL: Every two weeks, our live-in employees are paid for their time to manage the garden attached to their home. Each home will be equipped with a check-in & check-out system to monitor time spent managing the garden. Employees are paid hourly for their services rendered while living & rehabilitating with us. Upon harvest, each gardener of the home will be paid a percentage of the harvest they helped cultivate, paid to their account directly upon sale. We cultivate a program of Health, Success, and Reward; as it should be.

7. HOW WE TURN A PROFIT: We will associate ourselves with Local Farmers Markets, and organic markets, and sell our goods to them to help fund our project. We will trade vegetables to local butchers to trade produce for meat to feed our family. We will work to apply for Grants from local and federal government, donations as we launch a charitable website, and even assisted church donations. Our complex will have public transport access, state of the art security monitoring system, an on-site security personnel and complex wide network access & security for all community members.

A Two-Plan Rehab & Skill Training system:

Plan One - consists of an “Up-and-out” rehabilitation program for Homeless Americans, to reassociate these people with society to become successful members of society once again. Services can extend to 6,12, 16, 20, 24-month Human improvement plan to re-invest in our most valued resource! Each individual will be given psychological exams, health screening physical, and we will do educational evaluations to determine their current level of learning and assist with GED courses and also skill training, public transportation access. We will provide a comfortable small-living space, receive donations from Salvation Army and Goodwill and other charitable donors for clothing and other items while they live with us, and can take with them when they leave. We will provide on-site garden-management training and daily / bi-daily visitations to check on the garden, home, and the occupants. Each paid volunteer will have complimentary weekly psychological counselling sessions, and have the option to join group counselling sessions in our community center.

Plan Two - On the flip-side of our plan, consists of housing immigrants that are being processed by our immigration system. During their stay with us, they will be treated like all other members of our community; paid volunteer gardeners. With respect and empathy towards their journey to the United States. We will provide standard living quarters for couples and families that are selected in our lottery system. We will hire translators and schedule regular visits with respect to their privacy. During their stay, they will be taught to grow food in our attached greenhouse. Our Services can extend to 6,12, 16, 20, 24-month Human improvement plan to re-invest in our most valued resource! Each individual will be given psychological exams, health screening physical, and we will do educational evaluations to determine their current level of learning and assist with GED courses and also skill training, public transportation access. We will provide a comfortable small-living space, receive donations from Salvation Army and Goodwill and other charitable donors for clothing and other items while they live with us, and can take with them when they leave. We will provide on-site garden-management training and daily / bi-daily visitations to check on the garden and the home. Each paid volunteer will have complimentary weekly psychological counselling sessions, and have the option to join group counselling sessions in our community center.

We will engage with charitable donors to start our endeavor; but our plan is to be self-funded by growing and selling & trading fresh organic food, and growing fresh US Citizens with new positive outlooks, one life at a time!

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This program has the potential to solve multiple problems.

Our homeless community is growing at a record pace. We have so many homeless Americans & encampments, living on the streets; addicted to alcohol, drugs, or currently in-between living situations. Most of them scrounging and begging every day to meet their basic requirements. Each of their scenarios are unique in their own way, but what is not unique, is our compassion for our fellow man. To pick them up when they fall, to give us all another chance to rehabilitate and give back by growing more food for us all! Our plan is to have multiple HydroFarms across America, putting hope back into the American dream!
Immigration is at an all time high, people have no where to go and are providing no service to the community as a whole, and are a dramatic drain on public, state, and federal monetary assets and properties. This 5+ acre community provides some of them with shelter, resources for improvement, and they are providing a community service by growing more food! They are putting out, rather than taking out on an overly-giving system to those that can give in-return by performing a basic service…gardening.
The WHO (World Health Organization) stated many years ago that we as a culture are not growing enough food to sustain our rate of growth. With multiple HydroFarms in multiple states, we could produce more food at a faster rate, and using less resources as possible. Modern-day farmers need to change with modern times to increase yield and productivity for an ever-growing population.
I intend to deploy a new invention I have been working on, for Hydroponic fruiting trees with a impenetrable nutrient bladder for the root system, that extends underground for about 10-15 feet, and deploys a base stabilization system at the base of the plant, for the core of the tree, to expand and hold the fruiting tree in place while the roots expand and the tree grows. I have found that plants thrive and grow 3-4x faster in hydro, and harvest is 2-3x better and more plentiful, so it would interesting to see how that would progress on an Orange, Apple, Pear, or Lemon Tree.
We have multiple ways to perform hydroponic growing, from a PVC Plant & Drip Design for smaller water-based vegetables, to our own 3-gallon Deep Water Culture (DWC) design, connected to a master reservoir for larger nutrient rich plants. While traditional farmers rest during the winter season, we'll keep food production at maximum; growing in their seasonal absence! Thank You!!!
Future plans may include our volunteer gardeners may be encouraged to perform community outreach programs hosted by HydroFarm for the Homeless, to approach other homeless groups to provide meal services, basic first-aid, and introduction into our program and how it has helped them.

HFH will offer Holiday meals and services for multiple religion types, as long as those religions are based on peaceful practices.

Safety: Our community will feature a High-Speed security monitoring system for safety of our members and visitors. Each site will include a well-lit walking path on the interior and exterior of the complex, with benches placed for seating along the path.

Disciplinary: We will have a 3-strike system, with a forgiveness clause if a former community member makes amends. The idea here is to be stern, but show compassion as well - to show that people still care about people, but there are consequences for ALL of our actions.
Violence, Abuse, or Blatant Disrespect whether verbal, physical, or religious will NOT be tolerated.