PEACHTREE CORNERS—Jalapeño peppers, eggplants and okra filled the growing beds, while scores of donors, family members and farmers gathered around green shovels for a ceremonial groundbreaking at Peachtree Farm.   

When the dirt was tossed, the loudest applause broke out for the farmers, adults with intellectual disabilities, who spend their days in the greenhouse, tending crops in the silver tub planters and caring for the chickens.  

Three houses for the farmers will soon be built in this corner of the parcel where guests sat for lunch.   

“There’s not been a lot of new housing options for adults with disabilities, which is a struggle for them as they try to live with dignity and independence,” said Joe Twiner, the leader of the nonprofit.   

The mission of Peachtree Farm is focused on fostering the independence of farmers, both through job training and opportunities for independent living. Housing helps address one of the challenges for parents who worry about where their adult children will live   

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities face serious shortfalls in finding suitable housing. Advocates said thousands are waiting for community services. Affordable housing is important for the approximately 168,000 Georgians with developmental disabilities. A 2023 Georgia housing study found that rent affordability, transportation costs and inaccessible homes were common challenges faced by the community.  

Making connections  

Peachtree Farm opened in 2021, with on-site affordable independent housing as part of the nonprofit’s long-term plan.   

Ryan Potts, who lives in Johns Creek, heard about the program for his son Jackson. They’ve been coming here twice a week for the past year.    

“It’s the highlight of his week,” Potts said.   

The family travels to visit relatives in central Illinois, where Potts and his wife grew up on farms. The trips are now especially meaningful.   

It’s a pleasure for Jackson to be able to talk with aunts and uncles and cousins about farming, and the things he does at Peachtree Farm, Potts said. “He really makes that connection.”   

Currently, there are 15 farmers working here cultivating the crops. In addition, the farmers practice customer service skills at the city’s seasonal farmers’ market. Peachtree Farm managed and organized the market, attracting some 20 vendors and several hundred shoppers on Saturday mornings.   

Sam Collins, program manager for Peachtree Farm, shows the housing blueprints for the $1.5 million construction project providing homes for adults with disabilities. “These houses are not just houses, they are a new chapter in the disability community in Georgia,” said executive director Joe Twiner. Photo by Julianna Leopold

Taylor Warren, 23, has been working on the farm for three years, helping the tomatoes grow from seed. He cleans the tomatoes with vinegar to prepare them to end up with Garnish and Gather, an Atlanta-area meal-kit grocery service company. He said he’s proud people get to eat his tomatoes.   

Warren was happy to welcome all the visitors on Sept. 23 for the groundbreaking.  

“We’re extremely, extremely excited about building these houses and it’s good for the community.”    

Warren said he may be interested in living on his own with his parents’ approval.    

Grace and Steve Fultz volunteer as job coaches at the farm, guiding the farmers as they complete their tasks. Some move compost. Others plant seeds that grow into thousands of plants in the greenhouse.   

“We do it with love, so they know they are special,” said Grace Fultz, who retired from the insurance industry. She and her husband worship at St. Benedict Church, Duluth. “It’s very fulfilling because farmers have different special needs, and every one of them is unique to themselves. When you come in, it’s like you’re with angels.”  

The nonprofit was started by the Twiner family, who worship at St. Jude the Apostle Church, Sandy Springs. Joe’s younger sister, Quinn, has special needs and was one of the early farmers.   

Parishioners from St. Jude, Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Benedict, among other parishes, serve at the farm. The Catholic Foundation of North Georgia has also awarded Peachtree Farm grants.   

Looking ahead  

Supporters of the farm celebrated the movement toward housing as the first phase gets underway.   

A $1.5 million construction project is about to rise on the 4-acre site tucked in the back of an office park, with a move-in date next summer.   

“These houses are not just houses, they are a new chapter in the disability community in Georgia,” said Twiner. “These are the first community housing built for 15 or more years, and so we’re excited to start building our first three of 15 independent living homes,” he said.  

Overall, the organization would like to build farmhouse homes for a community of about 60 people. The homes would have three bedrooms and three bathrooms, along with a shared kitchen and living area, roll-in showers and sinks. Everything is on one level without stairs.   

The first phase is three buildings, with about six people living in the two homes, and the third will serve as a community and education center.   

Visit Peachtree Farm online at www.peachtreefarm.org.