Homeless Encampment Spring Cleaning Day
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Volunteers from the Rochester/Monroe County Homeless Continuum of Care’s CHRONIC HOMELESS WORKGROUP gathered at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 16, 2016, to do a spring cleaning and trash removal for area homeless. It was a collaborative idea that sprung naturally from advocates’ keen understanding of what homeless people work hard to maintain on a day-to-day basis.
Imagine living outdoors with your wits and scarce supplies to sustain you, and nowhere close to throw garbage away. Imagine your things getting ruined all the time, that then must be replaced, because it rained or snowed again last night. In the spring, with the snow gone, the trash is insurmountable and finally visible. The Chronic Homeless Workgroup is a practical and caring group of folks, and decided to pitch in to help.
Rebecca Miglioratti (DHS) and Nick Coulter (Person Centered Housing Options) are Co-Chairs of the Committee, and began to send out emails asking for volunteers. Amy D’Amico, Coordinator at the CoC, set up a Facebook event. Robert DeLeon of the Housing Council and Andy Carey of Rochester Emergency Action Committee for the Homeless (REACH) asked their networks to support the effort. A group of young men from Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity Inc. at the University of Rochester and RIT decided to add the Homeless Encampment Spring Cleaning to their list of volunteer efforts. Many members of the Department of Social Services (Department of Human Services) joined the effort. Interested community members joined in. Former and present members of the homeless community worked alongside advocates and volunteers.
The South Avenue riverside area was a predictable mess, after a winter of piling up under the snow. There were ruined tarps and clothes and old food and garbage bags. There was a rat disturbed by advocate efforts who ran away (advocates ran too, in the other direction). There were bottles, a syringe, containers and cardboard. But there was also a yoga mat, candles, and books. There were tents and food and blankets that were still usable, and they were respectfully left undisturbed.
The cleanup took less than three hours, with over twenty people pitching in. Because The CH Workgroup has built bridges with the City in its work, it was possible to work with the assistance of City of Rochester Department of Environmental Services. DES provided a dumpster, lawn bags, rakes, gloves, shovels, and Grab-It tools for all the volunteers. The CH Workgroup plans to repeat the effort in the fall for another community-wide fall cleanup.
The Chronic Homeless Workgroup meets on the first Friday of each month at 1 p.m. at Rochester Regional Health Center (St Mary’s Campus). All are welcome.
Related: McGriff family evicted; two arrested | “Fearlessly Serving the Homeless” a speech by Sister Grace Miller of the House of Mercy, Rochester | Poverty: The Sin of Omission by Corporate News | Corporate Welfare: Why Rochester Can't Have Nice Things | Joe Woods Takes Back His Home After Being Evicted
