May 2022

Jun 8

What is Community Beautification?

Dear Friends,

Our Community Beautification program refers to our team that provides compassionate garbage clean-up and graffiti removal services throughout East Portland and East Multnomah County. Here’s what makes this program unique:

This team consists mainly of neighbors with experiences of houselessness and employment barriers.
We provide opportunities for our unhoused neighbors to gain employment confidence and income in a supportive environment.
We work alongside both housed and unhoused neighbors to ensure safety, livability, and dignity for all.
Learn more about this program by watching Dylan’s Story.

May Highlights

This crew officially removed 400,000 lbs of garbage over the last six months!
Supported our unhoused neighbors by providing regular garbage disposal, cleaning up bulkier items, and bringing them food and water.
We welcomed our new Workforce Director, Paul Underwood!
We dissembled and cleaned the QA Village (transitional shelter in Portland) as it moved to a new location.

For And With Our Neighbors

“People are just trying to survive,” says Ty, a man who lives in a camp we visit often. “Other organizations were sending out a clean-up crew, but now they just push people away.” After the cleaning stopped, he said garbage piled up, rodents moved in, and things got worse for all neighbors. “Your (Cultivate Initiatives) help cleaning last time was huge cause the garbage was getting out of hand. I like you, cause you actually give a helping hand and wanna help the community.”

Down the road from Ty and the tents, the owner of Flores Body Shop, Miguel, told us that “Cultivate Initiatives’ clean-up people helped me keep my business cleaner and safer - it’s been much better since they came.”

Miguel and Ty show how our team builds relationships that lead to safer and more livable communities for unhoused and housed neighbors.