New Roots of Utah, building healthier families, inclusive communities and sustainable futures

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

The vision of the newly named Office of Innovation Partnership in Salt Lake County Government (SLCG) is to incorporate social innovation strategies. The Office of Innovation Partnership fosters Tri-Sector collaborations between non-profits, corporation, and government agencies to meet the demands of disadvantaged populations. New Root of Utah (New Roots) is the first of many programs that was created and incubated from this vision. Since 1988, Utah is estimated to have resettled at least 46,154 refugees of which 97% are residents of Salt Lake County (SLC) . Employment rates for first year refugee arrivals dropped from 60% in 2007 to 49% in 2009 . This decline in employment opportunities has posed various barriers beyond just economic ones. In particular, SLC has seen more refugees with mental health concerns and health deterioration, which may be a result of isolation and difficulty in affording healthy foods. Based on the above identified barriers, SLCG started New Roots in 2009. Without an approved budget, the success of this program was dependent on SLCG’s ability to secure Tri-Sector support. The core structure of the project is housed in a 2 acre underutilized land owned by SLCG. Additional garden plots were secured through building strategic alliances with existing community gardening associations. SLCG also partnered with existing refugee providers to expand programming capacity. Since the program’s inception, New Roots provided 57 individuals the opportunity to earn supplemental income, 430 refugee families the opportunities to socialize and integrate to their new home by growing food in a community garden, and 300+ low income households to access affordable and healthy food. New Roots was successfully incubated and transitioned to the International Rescue Committee in November 2013. New Roots has been recognized nationally and internationally for its innovative program structure.