SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The city of Elk Grove in Northern California is paying homeless residents to keep their living areas clean.
The Trash Clean Up Incentive Program was created by the city and the police department to provide trash bags and cash incentives to unhoused members of the community.
Elk Grove Police Homeless Outreach Officer Jennifer McCue leads the program. Every two weeks, she hands out $20 gift cards to homeless people who collect trash around their living spaces.
“They’re cooperative, they even wanted to do more. They clean up graffiti. They’re very excited about the program,” McCue said.
The program started in July 2020, and McCue noted that it’s been a success so far. Homeless residents sign up to be included in the program. They are then visited twice a month by Elk Grove Police Department for trash collection.
McCue’s homeless outreach partner, Officer Chris Cahill, added that it’s a perfect way to build a better relationship with the homeless population.
“Participation gives us contact with subjects and then they’ll eventually maybe take some help,” he said, explaining how the initiative connects homeless people with resources and sometimes even housing.
The $20 gift cards given to program participants can be used at different grocery stories in the area. However, no tobacco or alcohol products can be bought with them.
As both officers noted, every time they've made their rounds collecting trash throughout the homeless community, it’s been a positive experience. They hope the program can be an example for other cities throughout California.
“It just takes all of us to come together, the city to form this program and get the help these people need,” McCue said, adding that the program has helped create a cleaner environment and safer community for all of Elk Grove.