| Homeless Work Crew Cleans Up
An abandoned lot before the Work Express team clean-up. |
The same lot after the Work Express team clean-up. |
When Tom Washington met with the new mayor of Brockton, MA, he showed him some before-and-after pictures of graffiti removal. Next thing he knew, the mayor promised him money from the Department of Public Works budget to buy chemicals to continue the project.
Washington, the Director of MainSpring House, knows that his graffiti removal program makes sense for his work crew and for the business and residential areas. His crew is made up of homeless men (and sometimes women) who take part in the Work Express program. Work Express is a 6- to 12-month sobriety program for homeless and addicted individuals. Crew members do paid labor in the community 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, and live in MainSpring House. Through Work Express, participants learn the skills they need to become self-sufficient. The program consists of 20 crew members, a case manager, a counselor, an education specialist, and a work supervisor.
MainSpring House, which is run by MainSpring Coalition for the Homeless, has also partnered with Weed and Seed, the Campello Business Association, and the Brockton Department of Public Works to clean city-owned vacant lots in the Weed and Seed target area. Work Express crews also sweep streets and dump trash for the city.
The Campello Business Association is made up of business owners from the city's Campello section. At their November meeting, the association and its members donated $795 to the program.
Brockton Weed and Seed, through the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, funds the Work Express cleanup efforts in the target area, which includes 11 lots identified for ongoing cleanup. Signs to advertise the program are displayed at each lot. In addition, neighbors receive fliers that explain the initiative and ask them to help clean the area. By cleaning neglected lots, Brockton Weed and Seed hopes to decrease the number of places where crime can occur.
Washington believes people respond very well to the Work Express program. “People see homeless individuals contributing and getting back into the mainstream,” he said. Success in graffiti removal has also given the Work Express program a good reputation: the program has won the contract to clean the new baseball stadium. Some program graduates have moved into housing and obtained maintenance jobs.
Last year, the City of Brockton held the first “Keep Brockton Beautiful Day” during which residents, other community members, and the Work Express crew cleaned a number of areas around the city. The Weed and Seed coordinator was part of the planning process for this event. Recognizing the importance of neighborhood restoration, Brockton Weed and Seed used its funding for this initiative to augment the city's efforts to clean some of its most blighted areas. Initial responses from residents on Temple Street, the first lot cleanup with Work Express, have been very positive. Once cleaned and maintained, these lots may be bought from the city and redeveloped by new owners.
For more information, contact:
Tom Washington
Director of MainSpring House
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