Clean Start

Established in 1996, Clean Start is a homeless-to-work employment program that provides consistent work opportunities while contributing to Portland’s efforts to address street cleanliness and homelessness recovery. Clean Start employs both full-time permanent staff and temporary trainees. The program’s crews work throughout the Portland Metro Region and have contracts with the Central Eastside Industrial Council, the Joint Office of Homeless Services, the City of Portland, and the Oregon Department of Transportation. Clean Start also partners with Downtown Clean & Safe to fulfill cleaning requests in the downtown area.

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Trainee Program Begin Your Journey

Trainee Program

Over six months, trainees in the program work 40 hours a week, removing graffiti, trash, needles, and biohazards throughout the Portland metro area. During the program, they also receive peer mentoring and develop critical job skills, building confidence for future employment opportunities.

Trainees are connected with CCC’s wraparound services, including:

Supportive housing

Health care

Substance use disorder treatment

Employment assistance

Toward the end of their six-month work experience, CCC Clean Start trainees participate in practical employment development workshops at CCC’s Employment Access Center, where they receive one-on-one assistance with the job search process.

Some graduates of the program transition to permanent employment, either with Clean Start or in janitorial, maintenance, pest control, painting, or front desk roles within 23 CCC buildings. Others secure permanent employment outside the agency. Most trainees also exit the program with long-term housing!

Begin Your Journey with Clean Start

Gain new skills while keeping Portland neighborhoods clean with Clean Start! Trainee positions start above minimum wage at $17.89 (2024). Full-time permanent positions at Clean Start are higher than that based on position and are union represented jobs that include benefits.

Before applying, you must: