Turlock’s downtown streets are sparkling thanks to a group of homeless individuals who are doing the most to give back to their community, taking pride in their town through hard work and local support.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the recently-formed homeless work program team takes to downtown Turlock’s blocks to pick up trash, clean up messes left overnight by others and tend to the alleyways and dumpster areas that are often overrun with debris. There have been three clean-up days so far, organized by the group themselves through a completely organic, grassroots campaign to beautify the city in which they reside — home or no home.

“It’s not a [Turlock Downtown Property Owners Association] program; nobody is running it, and it’s the homeless individuals who have decided where to meet and at what times,” TDPOA Executive Director Molly Amant said. “We’re just out there to help and to get the word out for them connection-wise, and to get them anything they need and make sure they stay safe.”

The homeless work program started last week after a group of around 15 homeless Turlockers showed up during a special meeting about homelessness at City Hall earlier in the month, informing the City Council they’d like to start cleaning up the community. Local community members, including Amant, took it upon themselves to reach out to local community members and businesses for donations of trash bags and lunches in order to make the clean-up days possible.