Little Rock, Arkansas made quite a buzz over starting their program to pay the local homeless $9.25 (Arkansas's minimum wage) to keep the city clean. Since the program started back in March of this year it has been a success. Originally the program was only supposed to last six months, but after seeing the impact that it has made Little Rock's mayor drafted a resolution to the Board of Director's to extend the program until September 2020, which they did approve.
Originally this program was one that many people doubted and felt would be a waste of resources, but the programs results have proven them wrong. People were concerned about neighborhoods and businesses being judged for the company that they could possibly attract due to the program. There were those that hoped the program would help decrease the number of pandhandlers seems to be growing in Little Rock, however based on the programs report it has not exactly won over the pandhandlers. The program approached 148 panhandlers and offered them work, but only 44 accepted. Nevertheless the program has helped approximately 400 of the homeless with not only a job but physical and mental health services, preparation for job interviews, and sometimes temporary housing. There have been 2,056 bags of trash collected, 130 sites cleaned, and 1,821 hours worked.
I think that the program is a great idea and I am glad to see it being successful. It's helping people get on their feet and get a second chance at a better life. This program also shows where inprovements can continue to be made such as the panhandling. Bing that I am a Little Rock native I have seen adn experienced it first hand, and they do seem to be multiplying. I do understand that people can find themselves homeless for a plethora of reasons, and program like this allows the city to see where the mindset of their homeless is. Based on the numbers only one third of the panhandlers approached were interested in this form of employment. I think that the mental and physical health services being offered to these new employees is great becuase these services can help to ensure that all these employees can be healthy and inspired
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