Tempe introduces program to give jobs, living assistance to homeless

PHOENIX — The city of Tempe has introduced a new city-wide jobs program that would help homeless people get jobs and living assistance, officials said in a press release on Wednesday.

The jobs program, titled Tempe Works, is a 2-year pilot program that would offer four homeless people part-time city jobs with the Public Works Department.

These jobs would include repairing refuse cans and maintaining organic compost by removing contaminants, the press release said. Participants would also have the opportunity to get a full-time position.

City councilman Randy Keating, one of the lawmakers who developed the program, said in the press release that Tempe Works is a “community-based effort to address an issue that impacts our entire region.”

“I hope it can serve as a model for other cities in the Valley, specifically those that border Tempe, as they also look for creative solutions to our biggest regional problem,” he said.

Keating said the program could be scaled up to create “dozens of jobs” for the city’s homeless population.

Participants with the Tempe Works program would be paid $12 an hour and would get assistance with housing, transportation, uniforms, medical care and daily living needs.

The program would need to be approved by the city council, who will vote on a formal agreement on Sept. 28. If the council approves it, Tempe Works would move forward and the jobs could be filled as soon as the end of the year.

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