The homeless in Albuquerque, New Mexico have a friend and advocate in Republican Mayor Richard Berry who has teamed up with non-profits to give the rising number of panhandlers work.
The government program proposed by Berry, “There’s a Better Way”, hires panhandlers for $9 an hour to work on city beautification projects. A nights stay at a shelter is offered and lunch provided. With 932 jobs given out, the program is a huge success. The city has had weeds and litter cleared from 196 city blocks due to the hard work of those involved in the program. Permanent employment has also been found by 100 homeless people through “There’s a Better Way”.
How does this program work and why is it such a success? The value that these men and women receive, knowing they are wanted and are contributing to society, has been life altering.
View the inspiring video on the next page.
Care Camps would be MORE effective.
Awesome. The people look happy.
Wonderful
I love this!
Awesome!!
What is a care camp?
Now try to find affordable housing that will fit there budget.
It is called “Jobs”!
Solution to lots of these kinds of problems – get the people working – it helps them in many ways and gives them hope, and helps the economy because now these folks are involved in creating value. All the democrats want to do is give them a check and make government dependents. Here in Seattle it seems like the only ‘solutions’ for the homeless problem tossed around are around giving them little homes, food, phones, etc., in otherwords support – but no jobs are talked about. We have a greater problem with homeless people now than before the recession – I would say this is proof enough that the employment picture is not as strong as Obama claims. Cudos to Mayor Berry. We need more cities doing the same thing.
This is such a fantastic idea and more States should get involved in this. People going through hard times need that boost of self worth, and this is a great way to help them get and back on their feet again. It’s not going to happen overnight, but it’s a start in the right direction for them.