Next phase of the Squeegee Collaborative kicks off with community conversation at New Shiloh Baptist Church

BALTIMORE, MD. (Friday, September 9, 2022) - After nearly two months of thoughtful discussions with a cross-section of approximately four dozen business, community and government leaders, as well as youth with lived experiences, Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s commitment to identifying solutions to the longstanding challenge of youth who squeegee is set to begin a new phase with a community engagement session on, September 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. The session will be held at New Shiloh Baptist Church, 2100 N. Monroe Street. Registration is required and can be done by visiting: Squeegee Collaborative Community Conversation Registration.

Since mid-July, the Squeegee Collaborative has convened weekly to tackle the root causes of why some youth and young adults choose to squeegee on streets in Baltimore and what can be done to provide them with more options and resources for greater opportunities. At the onset, Mayor Brandon M. Scott has expressed his desire to find solutions for an issue that has existed for decades.

"This is an issue that has been kicked down the road for more than 40 plus years and I refuse to kick it any more. The buck stops here," said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. "The Baltimore I am moving us toward is one where no one needs to stand on a corner asking for money. The Baltimore I envision is one where all of our children understand that we are committed to putting in the work to show them that their lives matter and we want nothing but the best for them."

In addition to the community conversation, the administration is launching a website to keep the public updated about the work of the Squeegee Collaborative. By visiting the website, people can download a toolkit to host their own community conversations, provide feedback to the Squeegee Collaborative, and learn more about volunteer opportunities to support this important work.

Over the last eight weeks, the Squeegee Collaborative leadership team, led by Deputy Mayor of Equity, Health and Human Services Faith Leach, T. Rowe Price Foundation President John Brothers and Center for Urban Families President and CEO Joseph Johns, have met with a collection of individuals equally dedicated to identifying the challenges that lead youth and young adults to squeegee work and proposing solutions that will allow for those individuals to be presented with other resources to earn income and develop skills to help them be adequately prepare for life as they enter adulthood. The meetings focused on a variety of topics including the services needed to support squeegee workers, resources needed to sustain the services, accountability for squeegee workers and motorists, communication and implementation.

"From the beginning, our work has been rooted in equity and with a strong desire to tackle the broken systems that contribute to the challenges faced by squeegee workers," said Deputy Mayor Faith Leach. "It’s been truly fulfilling to see such a diverse group of people really give their time to help us figure out what can be done to develop and implement recommendations that address challenges that far too many of our young people and their families face on a daily basis."