GLENDALE, Ariz. — A program that hires people experiencing homelessness to clean city parks and the municipal landfill is paying participants above minimum wage and pairing work with hands-on help to secure housing and other services, city and partner officials say.
Work as a bridge out of homelessness
Glendale Works, a partnership between the City of Glendale and Phoenix Rescue Mission, operates early-morning crews that ferry participants to job sites with breakfast, lunch and water. For roughly five-and-a-half hours of labor, crew members earn $76, a rate organizers noted is above Arizona’s minimum wage.
Organizers say the pay is only one component of what they call a comprehensive effort to break barriers that keep people on the streets. The Phoenix Rescue Mission’s outreach staff physically accompany individuals to government offices, help obtain necessary documents and provide connections for housing, clothing and food.
“We offer many opportunities in different ways: housing, clothing, food, work resumes. We do IDs, Social Security cards, birth certificates, whatever they need. We try to break barriers for them and to propel them out of what they're in to a better place in their life,”
— Benjamin Herrera, outreach coordinator for Phoenix Rescue Mission, spoke about the range of supports the program makes available.
Participants describe immediate benefits
Participants say the combination of steady pay and casework produces tangible, immediate outcomes. One participant who recently left incarceration described how the stipend helped cover transition expenses while she and a sibling live in a halfway house.
“Having that little bit of money allows us to pay rent. We live in a halfway house, so we're transitioning from an incarcerated life back to a normal life. You don't realize what things are possible for you until you have just a little bit of money in your pocket,”
— Mia Jennings, a program participant.
Program record and city impact
Launched in 2018, Glendale Works has recorded several measurable outcomes for both participants and the city, according to program staff. Organizers report that 112 people have been placed back into housing since the program began. In the most recent full year cited by program staff, participants logged close to 19,000 working hours for the city.
| Metric | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Year launched | 2018 |
| People placed into housing | 112 |
| Work hours logged (last full year cited) | ~19,000 |
| Daily crew size (typical) | Up to 20 people |
City officials and program staff say the work crews not only provide labor for park maintenance and landfill tasks but also lower barriers to services that often require a permanent mailing address or identification documents.
- Casework: staff help obtain state IDs, Social Security cards and birth certificates.
- Accompaniment: outreach coordinators accompany participants to government and service offices.
- Immediate support: participants receive meals, water and transportation to job sites.
Program staff noted they sometimes pay fees out of pocket for documents when necessary, citing the practical challenges people face when they lack a fixed address.
Local consequences and questions
For Glendale residents, the program has immediate public benefits: cleaner parks and municipal sites, along with potential reductions in homelessness as participants move into housing. For participants, it represents both earned income and a route to services many say are otherwise difficult to access.
Community advocates and municipal leaders have increasingly emphasized employment-based interventions as a complement to shelter and housing investments. Glendale Works provides a model that pairs labor with case management, aiming to move people into more stable situations while meeting city maintenance needs.
Officials did not provide a comprehensive budget breakdown in the materials reviewed by WE NEWS, and program leaders did not disclose how many participants transition to long-term employment outside the program each year. Those remain areas local policymakers and advocates may examine as the city evaluates the program’s long-term cost-effectiveness and impact.
City residents who want more information about Glendale Works or volunteer and donation opportunities can contact the City of Glendale or Phoenix Rescue Mission for current details and ways to support program participants.
