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A small town in Arkansas is paying homeless people to pick up trash
This town in Arkansas pays homeless people to pick up trash - what starts as a 6-month initiative, was extended after the program's success.
Randy Aragon
10.10.19

As the homeless epidemic gets worse across the nation, cities everywhere are looking for solutions. It’s no secret that it’s pretty hard to get a home without a job, this is why one city in Arkansas is paying the homeless population to pick up trash. Not only does this brilliant idea help the homeless get back on their feet, but it also cleans up the city!

This could be the way to clean up out cities for good, scroll down!

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This small town in Arkansas came up with a great way to clean up the city, while also helping the homeless.

back in April, Littlerock, Arkansas, started the Bridge to Work initiative. The program pays homeless people 9.25 per hour, 2 dollars more than Arkansas minimum wage, to pick up trash around the city.

At first, the program was initially a 6 month trial period, but it was so successful they’ve decided to extend it for another year. City Mayor, Frank Scott Jr., is extending the amazing program through September 2020.

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Bridge to Work is helping hundreds of homeless people in Arkansas, to get back on their feet.

The program is run through the Canvas Community Church, they select 8 homeless people per day to go clean a different site. This enables the homeless people to make money, but also gives them something on their resume so they can go on to get more jobs.

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Even bigger than the money, or job prospects, it’s giving homeless people in the community hope, something that can be hard to come by when you’re without a home. One homeless man said:

“Hopefully you know, by doing this job right here, maybe I could get hired on by the city or something.”

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The amazing program was given $80,000 to start and has already made a huge difference for many homeless people.

The Bridge to work was allotted 80,000 dollars to start, with its extension, we’ll probably see more money coming their way! This program is awesome, if other cities follow suit, this could make a huge difference for the homeless populations!

The ultimate goal is to transition the homeless people into, stable, full-time jobs. The brilliant idea is hitting two birds with one stone, helping homeless people, and cleaning up the city simultaneously.

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So far the program has cleaned 130 sites, filled 2,056 bags, and given 380 people work for a total of 1,821 hours!

The numbers speak for themselves! With a total of 130 sites cleaned, 2,056 bags of trash filled, and jobs for 380 people, I’d say that’s a success! Associate pastor, Paul Atkins, from the Canvas Community Church said:

“We’re super excited about what has gone on, and we hope to be able to keep the momentum going.” At a board meeting last month, he also said: “We want to work with them on their next step. There are a lot of barriers that our people experience to go from homelessness and panhandling to full-time work. There’s a lot of steps in between.”

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This is so touching, it’s good to see a community thinking outside the box to help their homeless community! Watch the video below!

This small town is paying homeless people to pick up trash – and they’re paying a good wage!

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