The Women of San Diego CCTRP Grow Together

Posted on October 11, 2017

We have the pleasure of operating two Custody to Community Transitional Reentry Programs (CCTRP) in Stockton and San Diego, California. These nine month to two year programs serve female offenders with up to two years left on their sentence in a community setting rather than in the institution while providing them the skills that they need to reenter society successfully and succeed in the future upon their release from the program. We’d like to share a letter written by the women that we serve at our San Diego CCTRP program about a wonderful project that they began in March of 2017 and have since maintained during their time with the program, a community garden!

“Hello everyone,

It is the ladies down in beautiful San Diego, California of CCTRP! We want to share with all of you our latest expansion of our garden!

We currently have an array of different veggies growing such as tomatoes, artichokes, summer squash, pumpkins and a small patch of purple basil as well as some beautiful sunflowers and 4 o’clock flowers! The summer attraction for our sunflowers has brought about 6-8 sets of wild parrots that bask in the sun and munch on the seeds. Now, the summer crop is rapidly coming to an end. We are looking forward to donations and supplies so that we can produce fall and winter vegetation.

This experience has been therapeutic for the clients. It has brought us together on a team building and community level. During visits, families have the opportunity to plant, water and nurture the plants as they grow. This is parallel to the healing process of family re-unification.

Our goal is to continue to get more clients and their families involved. Each client has an opportunity to get educated about gardening as well as take the experience home to be incorporated as a viable coping skill.

Our hope is to be able to maintain this process for future clients by utilizing the latest techniques in gardening such as raised planters (ex.: Bed Building), water conservation and easy maintenance for the future of the garden, ultimately resulting in less work, low costs and more success. We also have a compost pile which we designed and utilize  with the veggie and fruit crops to fertilize our garden. We look forward to what more we can do in our garden; working, growing and learning toward a brighter future together as a community!”

With Love,
The Women of San Diego CCTRP

For over 40 years, WestCare California has been providing an opportunity for individuals to lead fuller, richer lives. Our team of multi-cultural, experienced and credentialed staff is dedicated to providing the best care to everyone who enters our doors. Our goal is to uplift the human spirit by providing the skills and support necessary for individuals to achieve their dreams and transform their lives.

WestCare provides a wide spectrum of health and human services in both residential and outpatient environments. Our service domains include mental health & wellness, substance abuse and addiction treatment, housing opportunities, education & prevention, criminal justice and veterans programs. These services are available to adults, children, adolescents, and families.