In a collaborative effort, the city of Chula Vista and the Work for Hope rehabilitation program offers a unique opportunity for homeless individuals by employing them to paint city park restrooms, picnic gazebos and benches. Participants are paid cash for a three-day work week and are offered vocational rehabilitation training, life skills instructions, transportation assistance, job readiness and possible housing. Work for Hope secured stable housing and employment for 27 people over the past two years.
Work for Hope employees have painted 76 Chula Vista interior park restrooms, with plans to have the exterior painting scheduled soon, as well as other beautification projects. To date, their contribution has saved the city more than $92,000. From January through August, Rangers removed nearly 70 tons of trash and 931 shopping carts from various locations.
The program works closely with the Chula Vista Police Department Homeless Outreach Team and the Park Ranger Division’s Operation Pride. Select homeless individuals are offered employment as a way to introduce them back into the workforce. Operation Pride receives help from the city’s Public Works Department with heavy equipment for special clean-up areas and funding for painting materials.
The CVPD HOT members, led by Lt. Henry Martin, include Sgt. Ernie Pinedo, Officer Hugo Cardenas, Officer Fred Dominguez, Park Ranger Program Manager Sam Alzubaidi, Park Ranger Supervisor Frank Herrera, and a trained member from the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team.
Funding began with a Kaiser Foundation grant secured by McAlister Institute, and seeing the value of the program, the City’s Housing Division allocated $150,000 of Community Development Block Grant funds to help cover expenses for the two programs.
A new clean-up program will be implemented soon in Chula Vista with the assistance of the Alpha Project which will bring on two full-time employees to manage the program.
