KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Isiah Long is no stranger to hardship, having experienced homelessness and instability throughout his life.
But his involvement in the Clean Up KC initiative has provided him with a path to recovery and stability.
"I've been homeless a lot," said Long. "I've been in and out of shelters, sleeping on other people's couches my whole life,"
Thanks to Clean Up KC, Long now has stable housing and is working to secure a permanent job. Launched in 2022 through city funding, the initiative aims to tackle two pressing issues. One is finding employment for unsheltered individuals and the city’s growing problem of illegal dumping.
"This is not only a city problem, this is a county problem and a state problem," said Antown Washington, executive director of Creative Innovative and program leader. "Being at the forefront of this, you are a hero, we are heroes cleaning our community."
Participants in the program work three to five days a week, earning up to $18.75 an hour, while making a visible impact on their neighborhoods.
According to Washington, the initiative has already removed over 234,000 pounds of trash from Kansas City streets. He believes that with additional funding and more workers, the project could have a significant impact, especially with the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
"We have the FIFA Cup coming," said Washington. "Why should we sit back? Our community deserves to be clean, and our children deserve to be able to come out and play in clean areas."
Whitney Lawson, another participant in the program, highlighted the importance of having community pride to maintain clean communities.
"If we wouldn't see stuff like this, people would actually care about what it looks like where you stay at."
The program currently receives $60,000 a year. They aim to double the funds to hopefully double impact.
