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Proposal to pay homeless to clean city moves forward

Posted at 11:21 PM, Feb 06, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-06 23:21:37-05

INDIANAPOLIS — The City-County Council of Indianapolis announced that they "unanimously" approve Proposal 88 on Wednesday night, which would allocate $300,000 to curb the city's homelessness and panhandling problem.

PREVIOUS | How Indianapolis will combat homelessness, panhandling

The next step is full-council consideration.

The committee approved the $300,000 in the 2019 Budget of the Office of Public Health and Safety to provide wrap-around services for homeless individuals receiving housing vouchers. The proposal looks to hire panhandlers to clean the city and perform litter abatement.

The Council reported that the program will not be limited to just downtown Indianapolis, but will be targeted around other areas in the city.

"50 percent participation in the employment program will make a significant difference in the rate of panhandling," said Deputy Mayor Bennett according to an Indy Council tweet.

Similar programs have been tested in Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Denver, Colorado and Albuquerque New Mexico.

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