Proposal would pay homeless people to pick up trash

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A program to pay homeless people to pick up trash in an Ohio neighborhood could begin soon.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that organizers are seeking $40,000 from the city of Columbus to launch a yearlong pilot program in the city’s Franklinton neighborhood.

The goal would be to pay homeless people $10 an hour to clean up homeless camps and surrounding areas. Organizers also hope to direct participants to resources that will help them find jobs, housing and medical treatment.

One of the groups behind the effort, a charity called Jordan’s Crossing, helped run a similar, but smaller program, in Franklin Township earlier this year. Franklin Township Trustee John Fleshman says workers cleaned up more than 5,000 pounds of garbage.

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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com