South Shore gets a clean sweep with new program

The South Shore community has welcomed new guests to the neighborhood. Cleanslate, a program that brings in workers to clean streets, sidewalks and parkways, began its task to beautify the area earlier this month.

Ald. Leslie Hairston of the 5th Ward witnessed Cleanslate in other Chicago neighborhoods and pushed for the program to come to South Shore, specifically 71st Street.

“It’s very difficult to keep 71st Street clean,” says Hairston. “It’s a commuter hub.”

When Cleanslate first began in Auburn Gresham in 2005, there was one crew leader and 10 interns. Since then, Cleanslate has deployed crews to Wicker Park, the University of Illinois Medical District, Hyde Park, Uptown, Quad Communities and now South Shore.

The program does more than help clean up a neighborhood. It also offers job and life skills to individuals at risk for returning to prison and recovering substance abusers. Cleanslate began two years ago through CARA, a program established in 1991 to help individuals get jobs.

Although CARA is a stepping stone to permanent employment, Jesse Teverbaugh, director of leadership development for Cleanslate, says people weren’t getting jobs because CARA’s partners were concerned about the participants’ backgrounds.

So, Teverbaugh says, the question was asked: “How about we start our own social enterprise?”

In order for Cleanslate to come to South Shore, a special service area had to be designated by the city. The Special Service Area #42 allows business owners and sponsors to contribute to the program.http://ssa42.blogspot.com/.

Cleanslate interns, or workers, must participate in a five-week on-the-job-readiness program, which teaches life skills, conflict management and interviewing techniques. They learn teamwork while working alongside other interns cleaning up the streets.

While cleaning the community, Cleanslate interns offer residents friendly greetings as they work.

“It’s personality in the community,” Cleanslate intern Judith Summerson said at a June 7th press conference Cleanslate held at the Starbucks on 71st Street and Stony Island Avenue.

While on the job, the interns are provided with case management for up to a year, helping them to use the skills they obtained in the Cleanslate program to find permanent employment. The interns are also taught the proper ways to save and receive some help with housing.

With this assistance, Summerson says it’s up to her to get the most out of her experience. “I don’t expect anything because it’s up to me to continue to better myself,” says Summerson.

In just the few weeks the program has been operating in South Shore, John Rush, managing director of Cleanslate, says there’s been positive feedback from residents. “Our presence is known, and a lot of people are asking questions.”

South Shore resident Kourtnae London says Cleanslate’s work is helping. “You can see it’s trying to come up,” says London. “You can see they’re trying to do something positive in that area.”

Cleanslate is scheduled to be in South Shore until the end of the year. For information on the Cleanslate program, go to www.cleanslatechicago.org.