North Loop Partners With Unhoused Neighbors To Pick Up Litter
Nearly every week during the warmer months, the North Loop gets a little help from our unhoused neighbors at Avivo Village, picking up cans, bottles and other stray items that blow along our sidewalks.
And as a thank you, the North Loop Neighborhood Association provides each of them with a $20 gift card to the Holiday convenience store on 5th Street.
“It’s totally a win-win,” said NLNA vice-president David Crary. “It gives them a sense of purpose. And last year as I did this with them, I noticed that as the year went on, there was a little less litter to pick up each week.”
Avivo Village was an experimental concept when it opened in early 2021 on the northern edge of the neighborhood–a former warehouse filled with 100 secure “tiny homes” for those experiencing homelessness.
Now, the facility has reached a big milestone–having placed more than 200 of those temporary residents into more traditional housing. And they’re co-hosting a big celebration on Tuesday, July 30th from 5-7pm at The Green outside North Loop Green (360 N 5th Street).
It will be a chance to get to know more about the facility and how it’s blended so well into our neighborhood.
There will be a food truck, cash bar and free performance from zAmya, a theater group made up primarily of people who are, or were, unhoused.
Two years ago, they performed at Target Field Station (watch the video here). And since then, they’ve been collaborating with the community on a new play about their experience in the North Loop.
2022 zAmya performance
zAmya, the North Loop Neighborhood Association and Avivo have joined forces in an ongoing project aimed at establishing a shared vision in the North Loop of what needs to happen for all community members to feel safe, have shelter, and ensure support for the most vulnerable.
The gift cards for litter pickup are made possible by the city of Minneapolis and its Equitable Engagement funds.
By Mike Binkley, North Loop volunteer