As early sunlight crept down NW 23, Tommy McDowell slid his sore feet into leather work boots, pulled a jacket over his navy-blue hooded sweatshirt, and then grabbed a dustpan and his favorite broom, a sturdy green push-style model.

As he emerged from the vacant storefront alcove where he spends most nights in a sleeping bag, he tapped the tattered awning of the now-forgotten business with his broom, shooing away a row of pigeons that only add to his daily workload.

For the past year, McDowell, 70, a one-time construction worker, has made NW 23 his home. But it’s keeping a 10-block stretch between Broadway and Western pristine that’s become his obsession.

“Keeping this street clean, it’s a big job for anybody,” McDowell said, his breath steaming in the cool morning air. “It’s a lot of work, but I just give it heck and go on down the road.”