- In Modesto, California, New Team Cleans Up Streets, Provides Paid Jobs For Homeless. For CBS News, Nina Burns reports on the launch of a novel city program “aimed at cleaning up Modesto streets while providing paid work to people experiencing homelessness.” The Clean Team focuses on “litter abatement and community beautification” and, since launching just two weeks ago, has already “removed nearly 2,000 pounds of trash… drawing visible support from residents [with] people honking and showing appreciation” as they pass through the district. Megan Clifford, who oversees the program for the city, said that “this program has the potential to make a real difference: not just in litter abatement, but in people’s lives… the goal is to give people real work experience while they continue working with case managers toward permanent employment and housing.”
- Santa Ana, California, Re-Ups With Successful Clean & Safe Team Which Has “Enhanced Cleanliness… And Safety” Downtown. For New Santa Ana, Art Pedroza reports on the city council’s unanimous approval to renew with the city’s downtown Clean & Safe Team that “provide regular cleaning and security” duties, “assist visitors and businesses” with security and hospitality, as well as provide connection to services to the homeless community in order to make the city’s downtown district “clean, safe and welcoming for residents, businesses and visitors alike.” Teresa Saldivar, a downtown jewelry business owner, explained to the newspaper that she has “seen firsthand how essential the Clean & Safe Program … plays a vital role in keeping the area clean, safe, and welcoming for customers, employees, residents, and visitors.”
- Louisville, Kentucky Clean Team “Keeps The City Looking Clean And Feeling Safe.” For WDRB, Ariana Shuka reports on the success of the downtown team who “work year round, seven days a week, to keep the city looking clean and feeling safe.” The team performs multiple functions, from cleaning (“graffiti removal, pressure washing” of the sidewalks and buildings), to hospitality (“escorting” of residents, shoppers, and visitors across streets or to their cars or a local business), to connecting people in the homeless population to services and treatment. Rebecca Fleischaker, who oversees the downtown clean team, explained to the news station that this team “makes the public realm look clean, look colorful, feel good—it’s a series of small steps, but they really matter. Just in their mere presence, they provide a sense of safety and security for people who are in the area where they walk.”
