INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — The results of a new litter pick-up program in Independence are in and the city says it is seeing results.

The city of Independence, Community Services League, and the Missouri Department of Transportation are behind the initiative.

The program pays people who are unhoused, or experiencing unstable housing, to pickup litter along streets.

In the month since the program began, workers have collected 631 bags of trash, according to the city. Those hundreds of bags of trash weigh in at nearly 19,000 pounds.

The city says the new crews focused on the city’s major corridors including 24 Highway, 291 Highway, Truman Road, Noland Road, and others.

Crews also work to clean trash from wooded areas, interchanges, and along fences, according to city leaders.

On average, the crews have picked up trash from 5 miles of road a day over the past month.

Each worker will be paid $12 an hour. In addition to the wage, an additional $3 per hour will be put in escrow to use toward a housing savings fund for the individual.

After each 100 hours worked, each worker can request the $300 be paid toward any housing expense.

The city says one person has already graduated from the program, has a new job and is transitioning into permanent housing.