Homeless Man ‘Rewarded’ for Cleaning up Parking Lots, Sidewalks

It's not often we come across a story like this.

Homeless man spotted by Police sweeping, cleaning and picking up trash

Tuesday night, Seargeant Bennet of the Kennewick Police Department was on patrol, and noticed something a little unusual.

Officers, especially the last few years, have become very observant in the area of homeless or persons who appear to be 'living on the streets.'

He saw a man armed with a broom, a pickup pan, near Clearwater and Highway 395, and was sweeping, picking up trash, and other debris. Sgt. Bennet observed him for a while, he just kept working his way across the area. Sometimes, sadly, people living on the streets behave in ways that might appear to be 'unusual,' so the Sergeant decided just to check on him.

Officers are highly trained and can usually detect rather quickly if a person is suffering from any issues, behavioral or otherwise. But that apparently wasn't the case here.

   The man told Officer he was homeless but just trying to do his part.

Sgt. Bennett contacted the man, whose name is Matt. According to the KPD report:

"Matt explained to officers he is currently homeless and he just wants to do his part in keeping his community clean. He said he takes pride in his community and he does what he can to help out. Matt was offered resources for housing and we discussed possible employment opportunities at local businesses."

He was also given a gift card from the KPD Foundation as a thank-you for his work, and perhaps help him with day-to-day expenses.

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Not often do you find someone in this position who goes out of their way to try to make a difference.   Here's hoping things turn upward for Matt.