As the sun rises over the heart of the Wasatch, Devon O’Neil watches from his wheelchair in a newly created garden at Sandy’s Medically Vulnerable People (MVP) Shelter. He has been in and out of many homeless shelters since 2006, but he said this is the first to give him hope.

“All of the empty promises have been overturned since I have been here,” he said. “I’ve got a roof over my head. It gives me time to work on my medical issues. It’s fantastic. They make sure that I get where I need to go and I get what I need.”

O’Neil is also grateful for the newly created container garden at MVP, which was celebrated during a Blossoms and Belonging event on July 31st. The patient’s cultivated garden brings color to what had been a parking lot.

“I love the flowers. I love nature,” he said. For me, it helps me with my solitude every morning, before everything starts. It’s good energy.”

It’s the response Matt Haroldsen, MVP clinic manager, had hoped for.

“These flower boxes are hopefully an opportunity where our patients can get out of survival mode for a moment and be grounded and feel like a human taking care of the soil,” he said. “There is so much care here. The patients were part of the placement, and the accessibility that they wanted. They were part of the watering process and involved in planting the seeds. You can see the green that is coming through. That is from the compassion and care that our patients have shown here at MVP.”

Aniam Itoeye, a Sandy resident and regular volunteer at the shelter, donated some of the materials used to build the garden boxes.

Sandy resident and volunteer Aniam Itoeye celebrates the garden with her granddaughter and Mayor Zoltanski.

“The people here had the vision of turning a blank parking lot into what you see— a place of community, where everyone can come together and create beauty and watch things grow and thrive, and be needed in order for them to grow and thrive. It is a garden spot that feels like home for them to be at, and it’s exactly what we want to create for healing.”

Wayne Rodney Jorgensen said he is recovering. He had been homeless and addicted to cocaine for two years before entering the MVP. He chose to seek help because he wants to be with his daughter and grandchildren. “I thank the MVP for everything they have done. They have brought light into my life; everything has just turned around.”

Jorgensen said the garden is also one of his favorite places to be in the morning hours. “It makes me feel good that I am sober and that I am straight, and for the grace of my grandchildren, and that I can see them every day,” he said. “I didn’t care about nature, but since I have been here and seen the flowers and everything, and how nice the staff is at MVP, and how much they can help you, I really do appreciate life, and I love being sober.”

Jorgensen said he’s now at the top of the housing list and hopes to get his own place soon.

It’s a common goal among those living at the MVP. The average stay is 113 days. Haroldsen mentioned that one of the residents most passionate about the garden project wasn’t at the celebration because she had just moved into housing. It’s the kind of stability that the MVP strives for, as it offers medical and mental healthcare.

Mayor Zoltanski and City Council member Alison Stroud celebrate with MVP shelter leaders and dignitaries. Many thanks!

“This is so much more than a garden space, said Sandy City Mayor, Monica Zoltanski.“It represents what’s happening here at the MVP, where a sense of community pride and beautification is taking root, changing lives, and keeping us grounded in nature, to one another, and the ongoing transformation of the residents that we are seeing at the MVP. It shows how important the community support from Sandy has been.”

Since the MVP shelter opened a little over a year ago, 145 residents have found housing. Thirty of them moved into permanent housing, 72 moved into temporary housing arrangements, including living with family and friends, and 43 moved into institutional settings where they could receive medical and mental health treatment, such as skilled nursing and facilities for mental health and substance abuse.

Those interested in helping the MVP can contribute through donations or volunteering. They are currently in need of men’s clothing of all sizes, whether new or gently used, shoes in all sizes and fans. Monetary donations are also welcome. For more information about donations and volunteering, please get in touch with the Road Home.