Atlantic City launches new work program to give people experiencing homelessness a second chance
Diamond Heard raked up leaves Friday morning and helped beautify Georgia Avenue in Atlantic City.
It is currently a temporary job for Heard that's earning him money, but more importantly, he said, the work is giving him hope.
"As of two or three weeks ago, I had no prospects of any kind of employment, and I was starting to feel a little humdrum and down," said Heard.
The 51-year-old told CBS News Philadelphia he had a recent health scare, and with no savings in the bank, he fell on hard times.
"So my rent was behind and I ended up on the street," he said.
Heard is one of 10 people experiencing homelessness who are now part of the Hope Work Initiative which kicked off this week.
The participants are being paid $75 a day to clean the streets, the boardwalk and City Hall. The mayor said the money comes from the city's opioid settlement funds and hopes to expand the program.
"We're giving people opportunities," said Mayor Marty Small. "Sometimes people need a second, third and fourth chance at life."
Earlier this year, several fires were sparked under the boardwalk near homeless encampments, and the city's homeless population has been rising. Officials said the new program was not only born in response to that but also to improve people's daily lives.
"We wanted just to provide an opportunity for the people who are less fortunate who's had bad luck. We're all just a few paychecks away from being in that same situation," said Jarrod Barnes, Atlantic City's director of Health and Human Services.
The city said the temporary employees work three days a week and are offered case management and resources to help with housing, medical care and other needs.
Heard calls the program wonderful and said it's something he now looks forward to.
"Staying active staying in the mode of getting up going to work, staying clean being happy I feel good about that," Heard said.
The program will last for 10 weeks. In the end, officials said the city will consider hiring the participants full-time.