‘It’s actually a stepping stone:’ two years on, downtown Nanaimo trash program pushing people forward

Many of the 50 or so people who have worked with Clean Sweep over the last two years have gone onto bigger and better things while dealing with their own mental health or substance use challenges.

Between 12 to 14 people currently work on any given day, under the supervision of CMHA. Teams of two venture out on set routes through the downtown core to clean up.

“We go up around the downtown, the museum, we go up around the Courthouse…they clean up everything on both sides of the road,” Jones said. “They pick up the paraphernalia that’s left behind and any garbage that’s there.”

For the most part, feedback is positive although Jones conceded they’ll get the odd person saying what they’re doing is a waste of time.

He said even though garbage is a constant issue in any city, the program’s benefits outweigh what goes to the dump.

“We have a harm reduction approach to everything we do at CMHA. Some of the people working there are still struggling, but they get out there every day and they realize by doing things, sometimes there’s still a lot of hope for them.”

Jones wants to see the program expand from just the downtown, however funding and staffing issues are preventing those goals for now.

BC Housing finances the program for CMHA.

Clean Sweep in Nanaimo began in November 2019 with one person going out in the morning and afternoon.

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by NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

‘It’s actually a stepping stone:’ two years on, downtown Nanaimo trash program pushing people forward

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