WATCH:
Every day at 7:30 in the morning, Dylan Franklin wakes up with a smile on his face—no alarm needed. The joy of giving back to his community is enough motivation to get him out of bed, ready to take on the day.
Things weren’t always this way for Franklin. As someone who has experienced homelessness for 8 years, Franklin has seen his fair share of dark days. Ever since one of his campmates introduced him to Cultivate Initiatives, he has rediscovered his passion and purpose in life.
“A lot of my campmates got into the program,” he says. “It’s wonderful.”
Cultivate Initiatives is a nonprofit organization supporting East Portland that provides workforce development, alternative housing, and healthcare services to people experiencing homelessness and those who are underserved.
Franklin is a member of Cultivate’s Beautification Team, which pays workers a living wage to remove garbage and graffiti in East Multnomah County. The program draws funding from the Metro Supportive Housing Services measure and receives support from Multnomah County.
“It's a group of individuals, some that are hired on full time and part time and some that are on a daily internship program, all of which are reentering or entering the workforce and have employment barriers or are houseless,” says Matt McCarl, Cultivate Initiatives’ Community Action Engagement Director.
Every day the crew has a brief huddle at Cultivate’s East Portland office, where they decide what areas need improvement. Sometimes they receive tips from the community. Other times, they pick a location of their own and get to work. On an average day, the crew cleans up around three tons of trash.
One of the biggest myths about Portland’s trash problem is that people experiencing homelessness are to blame, McCarl says. He wants people to know that trash is a community problem, and housed people or businesses also play a role. Too often, he says, people leave trash and unwanted items near a tent because it’s an easy target.
Franklin says praise from the community inspires him. He frequently draws praise from neighbors. Parents walking their kids to school will greet him and tell him how thankful they are. People honk their horns and wave.
“Everybody’s human,” Franklin says. “People have rough spots. You might be one paycheck away from living in your car and then it’s living in a tent or a shelter. Just give people a break. Just love each other.”