VENTURA : Official Proposes Cleanup by Homeless

Homeless people could be hired to clean up Ventura’s downtown under a proposal roughly sketched out this week by a City Council member.

The project could began as early as January and would employ 25 people, screened for ability and assigned to small crews, Councilwoman Rosa Lee Measures told her colleagues Monday.

Wearing special badges or vests, the crews would sweep, steam-clean sidewalks, wash windows and trim bushes and trees, according to Measures. Each worker would earn $6 an hour and work eight hours a day.

The program would be planned and supervised by Bob McElroy, who has won nationwide attention for his success in putting the homeless to work in San Diego, Measures said.

Downtown merchants have complained for months that downtown transients look bad, smell bad and disturb their customers. Many of the city’s homeless dwell in the Ventura River bottom, which also troubles environmentalists because they say it disturbs the river bed.

Measures, who has been on a drive to rid downtown of panhandlers and vagrants, invited McElroy to town last week to discuss his work in San Diego.

Upon hearing of Measures’ proposal Monday, some council members immediately wanted to know the cost and what portion of it the city would pick up. Measures said she hopes to fund the initial cleanup effort through private donations, but she will keep the council informed of any future expenses.

In the long run, Measures’ plan calls for starting a day center and finding shelter for the workers. However, she said she does not know what it would cost to provide such services or whether the city or business community will be expected to pay for them.