A city in the #BayArea is living in the future, #Roommates!
In an attempt to beautify the streets and help the homeless population, the city of #SanJose will pay more than 25 homeless residents at least $15 an hour to pick up trash at more than 40 “hotspots” around the city, according to @mercnews. The ultimate goal is to help participants transition into full-time employment.
“We are working to transform lives,” said San Jose Mayor #SamLiccardo during a press conference. The program is a partnership with the city and the organizations of #DowntownStreetsTeam and #Goodwill. It’s expected to launch in November.
Downtown Streets Team will hire and manage the workers and a local dealership offered steep discounts on two trucks to support the effort.
The litter hotspots identified stretch across the city. One of the hotspots that crews will patrol is around ballfields where Little League families have complained recently about an increasingly unsafe environment. A number of homeless people live near Coyote Creek, which runs alongside the ballfields, and the area is often trashed.
Jonathan Fleming, president of the nearby Senter Monterey Neighborhood Association, said he’s “extremely excited” about the new program.
Fleming, who proposed a similar idea earlier in the year as part of an unsuccessful bid for a seat on the City Council, said he thinks the program will give participants a sense of purpose.
In addition to helping beautify the city and giving homeless residents an opportunity to work, Liccardo said the program is an effort to “change the narrative.”
Too often, people see trash on roadsides or creek embankments and place blame solely on homeless people, the mayor said, when “the fact is, it comes from many sources.”
#Roommates, what do you think of this city’s solutions to tackle its trash problem and homelessness? Let us know!
