In 2016, we launched a pilot program to clean, maintain and improve the Omni district while also providing training and jobs to area homeless. Drawing inspiration from the Miami Downtown Development Authority’s Downtown Enhancement Team (DET), we partnered with the Chapman Homeless Assistance Center to form a team of twenty workers earning a living wage and learning valuable job skills.

Dressed in purple shirts, the team keeps the community free of debris, maintaining public and green spaces and performing tasks including pressure-washing graffiti and sidewalks. Team members take pride in creating a better community, and the community is delighted with their efforts. Since its founding, the Purple Shirt program has doubled and today continues to grow.