The $14.7 million investment into the American Rescue Plan Act will hire Baltimore community members to remove debris from alleys, public trash cans, and overgrown, trash-filled vacant lots in up to 15 selected neighborhoods throughout the city, says Mayor Brandon Scott, who announced the initiative on Thursday, Aug. 4.
"This program is a great example of the City leveraging ARPA funding to produce the greatest possible impact for our residents," Scott said.
"Everyone deserves to live in a clean and healthy community and with Clean Corps, we are actively expanding our capacity to maintain neighborhoods and proactively address blighted spaces, all while providing meaningful employment for residents in our communities."
A request for applications will be issued by the Baltimore Civic Fund later this month to allow community-based and citywide organizations to partner with the neighborhoods to hire residents for Clean Corps., officials said.
Those who are hired will reportedly earn $15 per hour for the duration of their employment in the two-and-a-half-year program.
Successful grant applicants are required to prove that they have the support of the neighborhood association for the neighborhood they are planning to work in, according to the statement.
This program will be used to hopefully secure additional funding beyond the program period to expand the Clean Corps initiative to other neighborhoods in the city.
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