Cleanslate Moves to Englewood Neighborhood
Social enterprise purchases $1M building to scale its impact in Chicago and beyond
Chicago – Cara Collective, a leading workforce development organization, is pleased to announce the relocation of its flagship social enterprise, Cleanslate, to Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, via the purchase of a $1-million, 11,000 square-foot building (the former 1st Response Ambulance Co. facility on W. 60th and Wentworth).
The move, effective July 1, positions the workforce social enterprise to be a major contributor to the revitalization of the South Side neighborhood. In addition to bringing its exterior maintenance services to the surrounding corridor, Cleanslate seeks to utilize its positive, proactive presence in the neighborhood to encourage more residents to access its workforce services. At present, more than 200 Englewood residents have found transitional employment on Cleanslate’s crews.
For the past 11 years, Cleanslate has operated out of a rented facility in the Pilsen neighborhood. This move accommodates the social enterprise’s continued growth by providing a larger garage, gated parking lot for its fleet of vehicles, and additional administrative office and training spaces. The new location also provides access to the CTA’s Red Line to increase Cleanslate’s ability to better reach more residents of the city’s South Side.
“We are grateful for our new home in Englewood and the opportunities it brings to scale our services and create more jobs,” said Brady Gott, Managing Director of Cleanslate. “Our first Cleanslate crew started nearly 17 years ago in Auburn Gresham, not far from our new home. Since then, we have seen thousands of people transform their lives through the power and purpose of employment. We are so proud to mark this next chapter with the residents and leaders of Englewood.”
Cleanslate annually creates over 400 transitional employment opportunities for job seekers, many of whom have some of the largest barriers to employment. Its crews have kept the streets of more than 50 communities in Chicagoland and beyond clean and safe through litter abatement, landscaping, graffiti removal, power washing, and snow removal. The social enterprise annually brings in more than $3.9 million in revenue for parent nonprofit Cara Collective.
About Cleanslate
A social enterprise of Cara Collective, Cleanslate seeks to transform the landscape of our communities and our lives. We provide what some might consider an ordinary service in an extraordinary way, so that all Chicago neighborhoods can take pride in the safety, revitalization, and vibrancy that is created through clean streetscapes serviced by motivated job seekers. Since 2005, more than 4,200 people have worked in transitional jobs created by Cleanslate – with more than 1,000 of those individuals going on to secure permanent and long-term employment. Click here to learn more.
About Cara Collective
Cara Collective seeks to fuel a courageous national movement to eradicate relational and financial poverty. Through our four entities – Cara, Cleanslate, Cara Connects, and Cara Plus – we engage job seekers, employers, and other organizations across the country to break the cycle of poverty through the power and purpose of employment. Since 1991, we’ve helped more than 7,900 people get placed into more than 12,900 jobs and get started on their path to real and lasting success. Click here to learn more.
Contact: Mark Toriski
Director of Marketing & Communications
312.798.6723
mtoriski@carachicago.org
