As discussions about safety and livability in downtown Salem ramp up, local homeless service provider Church at the Park sees an opportunity to help its clients build their resumes and make connections in the community.

The organization’s leaders have pitched a new program to the city, called Clean Start, which would hire homeless people part-time to clean up litter in public spaces, including the downtown core.

They first submitted the idea to the city of Salem around 2022, said DJ Vincent, the organization’s founding pastor, which he said the city ultimately didn’t pursue. They decided to suggest it again at the July 21 city council work session, where councilors considered ways to address complaints from downtown business owners about safety and livability issues.

“We have been sitting on this idea for about three years,” Vincent said. “The needs of the downtown community, particularly around sanitation and the engagement, have always had our interest… We would love to see unhoused folks respected in the process.”

Church at the Park is suggesting a pilot program hiring three people, who would pick up waste downtown seven days a week. They’d also launch a 24/7 hotline for downtown businesses to call if they need trash removed from sidewalks.

Church at the Park’s outreach team would join the cleaners to speak with unsheltered people that the clean team encounters, and would work to connect people with housing and other services.

The team would likely be hired from Church at the Park’s sheltering programs, at the same starting wage as their existing sanitation employment programs of $20 an hour.

Vincent said he believes it will build positive relationships between the homeless community and business owners.

“We really hope this will knock down some stigmas, change some perspectives on the willingness of those folks who found themselves unhoused to be part of the solution, a part of cleaning up downtown. We want it to be very visible that these are folks who were sleeping outside, but now they’re the ones cleaning up,” he said. 

Vincent said the work would also help build a resume and job experience for people, and they’d likely work for between six to nine months before moving into another job or program.

The proposal didn’t get much attention during the July 21 council work session, which focused largely on the potential for sending mental health specialists to crisis calls and bringing back a downtown police bike team. But Vincent said he’s been in touch with councilors and the city in the time since, and has gotten positive feedback. He said the next steps are to consider what’s possible with existing funding.

His agency is asking for $120,000 in start-up expenses and $345,000 in annual expenses for the Clean Start program as it expands beyond the pilot.

Vincent said costs would include buying a vehicle to bring the workers from place to place, tools, and a pressure washing and vacuum system. They’d clean the streets daily, focusing on areas with the highest need, and would also run the phone hotline.

The funding request would increase the city’s spending on downtown trash collection. Currently, the city uses $37,830 annually for trash pickup through Republic Service, and $72,450 for its contracted Clean Team, said Kristin Retherford, community planning and development director, in an emailed statement. The Clean Team works Monday through Saturday. 

That money comes from a parking tax paid by downtown business owners, though the city will consider sunsetting that tax next year after rolling out paid downtown parking in July.

State law requires that the city contract cleaning services through nonprofit agencies that hire people with disabilities, Retherford said. Church at the Park is not listed among Marion County’s approved contractors.

Vincent told Salem Reporter that he’s aware of the good work done by organizations like Garten, and hadn’t known about the state rule. He said he believes there are still paths to forward with the city. 

“We think we can come alongside and help the city with this challenge. We’re not trying to take all of the responsibility, we just think we could partner with the city sanitation effort,” Vincent said.

Vincent said the program’s budget, and its sources, could be adjusted given the wants from the city and businesses. He said he believes Church at the Park could raise startup costs through private donations, but wouldn’t want to do that without certainty they could sustain the program beyond the pilot.

So far, Vincent said he’s talked with neighbors and businesses and has seen a positive reception to the idea.

“I think this is a win, win, win for unsheltered folks, for the business community and for the city of Salem. And so I hope that we’ll get the opportunity to give it a try sooner or later,” Vincent said.

RELATED COVERAGE:

As businesses call for fixes to clean up downtown, some say the problem is more complex

Northeast Salem business owners share safety, homelessness complaints at city forum

Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.

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