ST PAUL, Minn. — Wednesday morning's snow was no match for a determined group making their way through downtown St. Paul.
"If there's stuff on there you can sweep, sweep it up," Johnny Griffin, Work Now coordinator for Listening House, a St. Paul day shelter, directed at the dozen or so people walking with him.
Along their way, the group – adorned in purple vests, buckets and grabbing sticks in hand – pick up trash. It's a job to the men and women here, put on by Work Now.
Work Now is coordinated by the City of St. Paul and Ramsey County, a partnership program where people of different backgrounds and situations can work. Listening House runs the program.
"Homeless, or people that's in transition from homeless, or in transitional housing," Griffin said.
Work Now also employs felons. Employees make $20 an hour, working up to two five-hour shifts weekly. The program is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act.
"We've helped a lot of people, a lot of people have shown interest, and then we done hired a lot of people," Griffin said.
Griffin says they have roughly 87 people in the program, with more than 200 showing interest since the program launched earlier this year.
Work Now expanded recently, partnering with Metro Transit to clean light rail stations on the Green Line.
"They do really amazing work, and our riders and our customers and community just love seeing them out there," Pam Steffen, manager of customer relations and experience for Metro Transit, said.
Steffen was there when the partnership started on Nov. 4. This is only a pilot program right now, scheduled to last through the end of January 2025, but Steffen says if there's mutual interest, there's the possibility of extending the partnership.
A possible outcome of this program could create a pathway to longer-term employment for the workers.
"We will be talking with them about some sort of pathway program, where they've been doing this work already," Steffen said.
Among those working under Work Now is Olivia Alexander, a convicted felon.
"This program saved my life," Alexander said. "I'd be in jail right now if it wasn't for this program."
"I look for change, that's why I came here," she added.
Money earned by Alexander goes towards whatever she may need – a freeing feeling.
"I can do whatever I want to do with it," Alexander said. "I ain't got to rob, I ain't got to sell drugs, you know, I can do whatever I want to do with it... what I don't do this week, I can do next week."
Alexander isn't alone. Guadalupe Fondren is also a convicted felon, working for Work Now for extra funds.
"It's not the cutest, it's not the most, greatest thing, oh, I'm picking up trash, but you know what? It helps," she said. "I'm not stealing, I'm doing something productive, I'm even giving back to my community, it's looking better around here, and so... I'm grateful."