King County announced this week that it is partnering with the Millionair Club Charity to offer dignified employment opportunities to people experiencing homelessness and poverty, as well as to help get problem garbage picked up in several of its unincorporated communities – including White Center.

Here’s more info from the county:

The King County Conservation Corps is a partnership between King County’s Solid Waste Division, Department of Local Services, and Millionair Club Charity. Under the agreement, five-person crews will provide services on weekdays in the urban unincorporated areas.

In its first year of operation, the Department of Local Services actively engaged with residents and business across unincorporated King County. The department identified graffiti clean-up and improving public spaces in neighborhood commercial and business areas as important for economic development. Residents in the unincorporated areas also said they support providing job opportunities for people experiencing housing insecurity.

Millionair Club Charity is a temporary staffing agency that connects people experiencing homelessness and poverty in the greater Seattle area with jobs and support services. It currently has similar contracts with the Metropolitan Improvement District and the Ballard Alliance.

“We need to provide opportunities for people to build better lives, and tackle the litter and graffiti problem that continues to plague communities across the region. I created the King County Conservation Corps to provide solutions to both,” said Executive Constantine. “At the end of the day, we want people who have been struggling to have steady employment and the satisfaction of a job well done, and to improve neighborhood quality of life for everyone. This is a pilot, and I hope that it will provide lessons that can be deployed throughout unincorporated King County, and beyond.”

Under the pilot program, Local Services will serve as the lead for operations and management of the project, with Solid Waste Division serving as the primary resourcing agency, providing $125,000 for six months. Contract workers will earn between $18-$20/hour.

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