Prelaunch Status: TL&C Farmland is currently in the planning and funding phase. Program features, location, capacity, partnerships, and services are being developed as we secure land, licensing guidance, funding, and community partners.
Community Farm & Residential Program

Every kid deserves
a place to grow

TL&C Farmland is building a residential agricultural program designed specifically for youth aging out of foster care — a population facing some of the highest risks of homelessness, unemployment, and instability in the U.S.

Get Involved → See the Program
18,500
Youth age out annually
30%
Homeless before 26
50%
Unemployed at 24
10-20
Youth housed at a time

The system ends.
The struggle doesn't.

At 18 or 21, foster youth lose their housing, their caseworker, and their safety net—all at once. Most have never cooked a meal, paid a bill, or held a lease. The system prepared them for nothing except leaving it.

80%
Experience significant mental health challenges
3-6 mo
Educational loss per involuntary placement move
13
Average placements before discharge for teens entering care at 11-14
$0
What most aged-out youth have to start independent life
The Program

Level up. For real.

TL&C Farmland uses a progressive skill-building model. Youth don't just attend classes—they advance through real milestones that build on each other. Every level unlocks new responsibilities, freedoms, and opportunities.

Level 1 / Seedling

Foundation

Settle in. Learn the basics of farm life and daily routines.

  • Cooking, cleaning, personal hygiene
  • Greenhouse basics and soil prep
  • Budgeting and financial literacy intro
  • Trauma-informed counseling begins
Level 2 / Sprout

Growth

Take ownership. Lead farm projects and build real skills.

  • Manage a greenhouse section independently
  • Resume building and interview prep
  • GED or high school completion support
  • Community engagement and mentorship
Level 3 / Harvest

Leadership

Mentor newer residents. Explore career and education paths.

  • Farmers market sales and customer service
  • College applications or trade program enrollment
  • Job placement and internship connections
  • Independent living practice
Level 4 / Root

Launch

Transition to independence with a real foundation beneath you.

  • Secure housing with ongoing support
  • Stable employment or enrolled in education
  • Personal savings established
  • Alumni network and continued mentorship
Year-Round Production

Greenhouses mean no off-season

Most farm programs shut down in winter. TL&C Farmland doesn't. Our greenhouses produce food 365 days a year—which means year-round programming, year-round revenue, and year-round stability for every young person in the program.

Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter

Location to be finalized based on land, zoning, licensing, and funding readiness.

Year-Round Growing

Fish + Plants =
No off-season.

TL&C Farmland's aquaponics greenhouse runs 365 days a year — growing food, generating revenue, and giving every resident a hands-on education in sustainable agriculture, business, and self-sufficiency.

Learn About Aquaponics →
365
Days of year-round production
90%
Less water than traditional farming
4×
Faster growth vs. soil farming
0
Pesticides or synthetic fertilizers
🌿
Fish feed plants. Plants clean water. Water feeds fish. Youth learn to manage the entire closed loop — from seedling to farmers market stall.
Leticia Stephens (left) and Twakenna Spann (right), founders of TL&C Farmland
Leticia Stephens & Twakenna Spann
About the Owners

Meet the founders
behind the mission

Partners since 2008. Parents. Advocates. Builders. They didn’t wait for someone else to solve the foster care crisis—they built TL&C Farmland from the ground up.

Owner & Founder

Twakenna Spann

Grew up with deep roots in agriculture and went on to build a multidisciplinary background in Business Administration, Healthcare, and IT. Twakenna channels every skill into TL&C Farmland’s operations—from program design to financial sustainability.

Co-Founder

Leticia Stephens

Grew up in Atlanta, GA, watching young people fall through the cracks. Armed with degrees in Finance and Criminal Justice, Leticia focuses on the hard questions: long-term funding, systems navigation, and building an organization built to outlast its founders.

Read Their Full Story →

The foster system gives them a file.
We give them a future.

TL&C Farmland is being built as a residential farm-based support model designed around the real needs of youth aging out of foster care: housing stability, workforce training, wellness support, life skills, and long-term community.

Get Involved →