A key part of our partnership with the City of Hillsboro is providing workforce development for individuals with barriers to work. including past or present lived experience of houselessness. As a part of this program, HDP assists our employees in accessing other needed services including housing, medical, and other assistance either directly or by creating connections with other community partners doing this work. We currently have one full time and one part time employee experiencing homelessness. We met both of these employees through our customer service practices of acknowledging, greeting, and engaging all members of the public that we come in contact with on our daily work on the streets of Downtown. We have come to learn that employees experience homelessness have needs that are very different from our other employees, including food, clothing, transportation, a mailing address, tax filings, financial counseling, and connection to other services. Having an inclusive, honest, and caring team of employees is essential to support team members experiencing any life challenges is essential to success.
We have cleaned thousands of pounds of trash from the streets, alleys, sidewalks, and parking lots of Downtown Hillsboro and we truly believe that every bit counts, from candy wrappers to mattresses. Illegal trash dumps and abandoned camps can be a huge financial and mental burden on our Downtown small business owners, and we are here to help. That is why we are developing some simple and accessible flow charts to for business owners and employees to reference, walking the individual through the exact steps they should take if they are impacted by an illegal dump, graffiti, or property damage. Check back here for access to the final draft coming soon!
The HDP Beautification Team hard at work keeping Downtown Hillsboro clean and safe
On the first Sunday and third Monday of every month, volunteers come together in Downtown Hillsboro to clean litter and graffiti throughout the neighborhood in an effort to keep Hillsboro clean and safe! Hillsboro Downtown Partnership does this project in partnership with SOLVE Oregon as the biggest and most consistent Hillsboro Solve partners. We provide volunteers with maps, safety vests, gloves, bags, and litter pickers and send them out into the community to clean everything from takeout containers and shopping carts to graffiti and tags.
We believe that community is built through service and coming together monthly to keep Hillsboro tidy has helped us to build connections with corporate teams, students, and caring individuals who are dedicated to keeping our community clean.
Find out more about how you can participate in these events at downtownhillsboro.org/volunteering.
