Vision

Imagine growing up across the street from a park that is too dangerous to play in...or sharing a three-bedroom apartment with nine people...or not having books, school supplies, or a quiet place to do homework.

These are the harsh realities for the more than 550 youth living across the street from Niños Park in Natomas. The needs of this low-income neighborhood are obvious: generations of poverty, addiction, oppression, and crime have left families feeling hopeless and forgotten.

Drawn to serve this community, some volunteers from a local church began going to Niños Park on the weekends to play games and build relationships with kids and their parents. After hearing their stories and seeing their potential, these volunteers began to dream about a place that could represent health, hope, and renewal for this community.

This dream became reality in July 2002 when The GreenHouse was born. The GreenHouse is a Christian Community Enrichment Center that was formed to help unlock the inherent resources of this neighborhood and transform it from one that is merely surviving into one that is thriving. By providing families with opportunities for education, artistic expression, fitness, and spiritual growth, The GreenHouse is nurturing the seeds of renewal in this community.

Mission

Cultivating a thriving community by nurturing the emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and physical development of our youth and inspiring them to grow to their full potential

Demographics

The 2000 census paints a disheartening picture of the Gardenland/Northgate area, illustrating the needs of these children and the community at large. The picture includes a diverse population, widespread poverty, many immigrants, many unemployed, many broken families and a very, very large number of children. The average family size in the apartments where The GreenHouse is located is six, and over 550 children live on that one square block alone. The ethnic makeup of the people living in the apartments is roughly divided into thirds – about 31% Latino, 31% African-American, 31% Slavic (Russian and Ukranian immigrants) and 7% other, including Caucasian and Tongan. In the Gardeland/Northgate neighborhood just east of the apartments, almost 30% of families are living below the poverty line and 50% of families are without an adult male. Almost 23% of households make less than $10,000 per year and more than 50% make less than $25,000 per year.