Barbra Weber's vision: 'Give people meaningful work'

In a small warehouse in Portland's Old Town, people on the streets gather, hoping to get some gig work. Ground Score Association offers opportunities for individuals to earn a living and find purpose.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Dana Detten battled addiction and a serious ankle injury. Without work, she was living in shelters. But a non-profit started by the homeless for the homeless, Ground Score Association, was the gleaming opportunity that turned her life around.

"Before Ground Score, I was canning and that was my partner and I's only source of income," Detten told KOIN 6 News.

"I started when I was in my wheelchair. I worked at my own pace and I worked myself up from there. My partner and I are now sober four years," she said. "Alcohol is a horrible thing. It's tough. Every day is a struggle, but every day is closer to a better beginning."

She loves her job. She comes in early every morning ready to contribute to the community, share her story and inspire others to follow in her footsteps.

In a small warehouse in Portland's Old Town, people on the streets gather, hoping to get some gig work. Ground Score Association offers opportunities for individuals to earn a living and find purpose. Their G.L.I.T.T.E.R program sends clean-up crews throughout dozens of neighborhoods in Portland.

Some individuals sign up for a shift as an independent contractor, while others have worked their way up into more leadership roles, like Detten.

Detten now has an apartment in Beaverton, a wonderful partner — and a bank account. She attributes the stability to the visionary behind Ground Score Association, Barbra Weber.

'Depressing sitting on the sidewalk'

Barbra Weber lost her marketing job after a serious brain injury. She couldn't pay her mortgage and lived on the corner of NW 6th and Davis in downtown Portland. She was homeless for nearly a decade.

"I lived in a tent," Weber said. "It gets really depressing sitting on the sidewalk. I did it for hours and days and years and I got sick of it. And I'm like, 'Why don't they pay us to pick up the trash?'"

Weber wanted to create opportunities for waste pickers like her.

"I had a dream to give people meaningful work," she said.

Her dream came true. The City of Portland partners with Ground Score Association, employing more than 60 people to help keep the city clean.

"Everybody that's working, they were all living outside at best. Some of them lived in, we called them the 'shelter cats.' That was our situation," she said.

Now, about 75% of the people who work for Ground Score Association are in formal housing.

"It's wonderful to get charity," Weber said. "It's also even more empowering to contribute to your own wellbeing."

Her non-profit also manages another recycling redemption program in Southeast Portland called "The People's Depot," where similar transformations are taking place.

"About three years ago, I was sleeping under a bridge. I came to Oregon with nothing but my backpack on. No ID, no nothing. And I used to collect cans to help get by," Kristofer Brown said.

Brown heard about a job opening at The People's Depot where he could sort and count cans. He got a gig one day a week.

"I was making like 40, 50 bucks a day, but that was way more than what I was already making collecting cans," he said. "So I just kept showing up. And using my experience now I get to manage other people, help them get their IDs, their bank accounts. Most of my workers, they have gone from being outdoors to indoors, just like me."

Now Brown is working on his credit score and trying to get into a house with his girlfriend. He's even considering going back to school.

"Life feels so much better. There's so many more opportunities for me now than what I thought I had three years ago," he said. "It shows that if you provide opportunities for people, they will show up to work and improve themselves."

Ground Score Association's work is informal, flexible and accessible to many people in need who are often shut out of the formal job market. Brown advocates for more low-barrier work like this.

Simple jobs key to resurrection

Back on the cleanup route, people recognized Dana Detten and congratulated her on her recovery.

"I've known Dana since she was using," Angela Crisman said. "I was probably still using then, but she started from the ground up. She's worked very hard to get where she's at. I'm very proud of her."

When people hit rock bottom, Detten said simple jobs are the key to resurrecting them.

"I've gained a family, people, I always have people to talk to, to lean on their shoulder. If I'm having a bad day, I always have someone there to make me laugh. I can bring my dog to work if I want," Detten said. "I can pay my bills. I feel more self-sufficient, more proud of myself for being able to stay sober in this community. And Ground Score helps with that, loads of encouragement."

She wants to see more opportunities like this exist.

"I have seen a lot of the same people come in and I've seen them change for the better and that makes me so happy. If we can just help one person, then maybe this world will be a better place," Detten told KOIN 6 News.

She owes her life to Barbra Weber, whose mission is to change society's perception of who and what is considered valuable.

Weber said they don't require people to be sober to get a job. She said people get clean on their own volition and once they have a chance to provide for themselves they don't want to mess up again.

Providing attainable employment opportunities is a major part of the solution.