Unhoused Community River Camp Cleanup joins the Grand Valley River Cleanup effort

Every year, The Gear Junction, Rivers Edge West, & Grand Valley Paddling Club host a seasonal community-wide river cleanup. This year, the effort started early, with the City of GJ strategically placing dumpsters and nonprofit outreach teams providing trash bags, grabbers, and gloves to unhoused residents living at encampments along the river. By providing folks with the tools they need to keep their spaces clean, they feel empowered to do so!

We are ALL residents of the Grand Valley, and we ALL care about keeping our river clean!

The unhoused community river camp cleanup was an initiative of the Basic Needs and Outreach Workgroup as a part of the Unhoused Strategy & Implementation Plan endorsed by the City of Grand Junction and adopted by the Mesa County Collaboration for the Unhoused. This outreach effort was made possible through the multi-agency collaboration of various community partners including Mutual Aid Partners, the Neighbor2Neighbor team, Hilltop, United Way of Mesa County, Peer180, Homeward Bound, Food Bank of the Rockies, Colorado Health Network and VA HUD-VASH.

Everyone who lives in the Grand Valley cares about keeping our river corridor clean, including our unhoused neighbors. As organizations who do regular outreach to river camps, one thing we hear is that the lack of access to dumpsters, trash service, and sanitation is a major issue that makes it extremely difficult to keep areas clean. Supporting our unhoused neighbors living by the river by providing access to dumpsters and sanitation is a humanitarian, environmental, and public health priority.

To read the full story in the Daily Sentinel about this outreach effort, click here.