"The Coconut Hut is tucked away in a greenhouse at the Green Phoenix Farm, just west of downtown Salt Lake City. It provides what Courtney 'Coco' Giles calls 'survival gear' for people living on the streets this winter.
Tables are set up in a semicircle and people come in to pick up sleeping bags that guarantee warmth to 0 degrees. There are hygiene kits, warm clothes and hand sanitizer to burn for warmth.
The goal is to make sure 'that our unsheltered folks who are either not able to go into a shelter for whatever reason, or if they don’t want to go into a shelter, have everything they need to survive for a night,'” Giles explained. 'If they make it through the night and their things get taken by an abatement or the police the next day they can come and get the exact same things.'"
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"Giles is an advocate for Wasatch Community Gardens Green Phoenix Farm’s “Green Team.” Through her work with that program, she spends a lot of time driving around Salt Lake City, getting to know unsheltered individuals and helping them navigate the labyrinth of social services.
The farm is just a few blocks northwest of the Rio Grande Depot, where other social services are offered, and focuses on helping unsheltered women through job training and mentorship. Graduates of the Green Phoenix Farm’s program also volunteer at the Coconut Hut."