Mayor Scott announces $14M investment to employ residents to keep streets clean

BALTIMORE — Mayor Brandon Scott announced the recipients of the Clean Corps competitive grant program on Monday.

Clean Corps is an initiative to provide employment to Baltimore residents to clean 16 neighborhoods as part of the City's strategy to clean and maintain public spaces in historically disinvested neighborhoods throughout Baltimore.

"Every Baltimorean deserves to live in a clean, thriving community," said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. "We must take bold, yet measurable steps to immediately abate vacant lots, dispose of trash and debris and empty public trash cans throughout our communities - especially those communities that have been historically overlooked and underserved. Through 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."

Clean Corps is funded by a $14.6 million investment of American Rescue Plan Act funds distributed through a competitive grant process in partnership with the Mayor's Office of Recovery Programs and the Baltimore Civic Fund.

6 community-based organizations will hire and train local residents at a rate of $15 per hour to clean and maintain vacant lots and alleys, remove street debris and empty public trash cans in select communities.

The recipients are:

• Bon Secours Baltimore Community Works, Inc. will work with the residents of the Boyd-Booth,Penrose,Fayette Street Outreach, Carrollton Ridge, and Franklin Square neighborhoods. 
• Broadway East Community Development Corporation will work with the residents of the Broadway East and East Baltimore-Midway neighborhoods
• Civic Works, Inc. will work with the residents in the Coldstream, Homestead and Montebello (CHM), Darley Park and Four by Four neighborhoods. 
• Park Heights Renaissance, Inc. will work with the residents of the Arlington and Greenspring neighborhoods. 
• The Lazarus Rite, Inc. will work with the residents of Harlem Park, Penn-North, Sandtown-Winchester, Upton, and Druid Heights neighborhoods

“I am excited for the Department of Public Works (DPW) to partner with Mayor Scott, and the Department of Planning for Clean Corps,” said DPW Director Jason W. Mitchell. “My hope is that this program will encourage residents to renew their love and commitment to improve the overall cleanliness of our community. A cleaner, greener, more beautiful Baltimore is a city-wide effort and will take full participation from all of our community members, partners, residents and stakeholders to achieve it.”

The Clean Corps initiative will begin this month and will run through January 2025.