Squeegee workers—young men who dart into busy intersections to clean car windshields with rubber-bladed tools—used to be a common sight in Baltimore. But a new program from the Mayor’s Office has significantly reduced this risky business.

Because squeegee work is dangerous to the people who do it as well as a nuisance to motorists, it is a public health problem. Moreover, it is the result of a greater and more enduring harm which needed to be addressed: the poverty and lack of opportunity that drives these individuals, who are mostly Black, to risk their lives for a paltry sum of money.

To tackle this decade-old, complex problem, Mayor Brandon M. Scott launched the Squeegee Collaborative in the summer of 2022. A broad coalition of stakeholders, including business, community and government leaders, faith-based organizations, young people, and the squeegee workers themselves, the collaborative was tasked with developing strategies to connect these individuals with support services that provide positive pathways to work and education while also addressing the safety of the squeegee workers and motorists.

In January 2023, the Squeegee Action Plan was launched to provide a comprehensive services and outreach strategy which would not only advance these goals, but also ensure accountability, enforcement, and effective governance and include measurement capabilities as well.

The Squeegee Collaborative: Coordinated Citywide Care

Key to the success of the collaborative’s program is its care coordination model, Connect 2 Success (C2S). Developed by the Mayor’s Office of African American Male Engagement (MOAAME), the C2S program offers comprehensive services and supports and provides programming to advance the educational and socioeconomic development of disconnected youth and young men.

To achieve this goal, C2S provides intensive case management, consistent engagement, and guidance from mentors and navigators who initially engage with individuals on the corners where they squeegee.

After connecting these squeegee workers with support services and providers, the navigators coordinate their care and collaborate with mentors and collaborative leadership to manage these individuals’ progress throughout the program. Once the navigator connects the squeegee worker to services, a mentor and service provider meet with them as needed— weekly, biweekly, or monthly—to conduct case conferencing and report on progress.

In addition to offering quality relationship connections and academic support to young people, the collaborative program provides physical health and wellness supports, job readiness and skill training, and workforce opportunities.

Through MOAAME’s partnership with YouthWorks, Baltimore City high school juniors and seniors can work during the school year, gain exposure to areas of career interest, get opportunities to develop critical skills, and earn a steady paycheck. Through MOAAME’s partnership with Hire Up, unemployed or underemployed adults can obtain career guidance, legal services, and financial literacy counseling.

To support the entrepreneurial goals of those squeegee workers who wish to start their own enterprise, the program partners with local businesses and nonprofit organizations to provide funds for expenses as well as startup and management guidance.

To incentivize participation in these education programs and workforce and entrepreneurship training, the MOAAME provides financial support in the form of stipends. These are given to all participants who complete required actions and are engaged in the C2S program for up to one year. However, those who take advantage of the stipend and other services must give up squeegee working while doing so.

To maintain the high quality of the squeegee collaborative’s overall program, navigators also attend weekly quality assurance meetings to review data and identify opportunities for improved coordination, communication, and service delivery.

Role of the Baltimore Police Department

Though squeegeeing is considered a form of panhandling, which is banned under one of Baltimore’s city codes, the role of the police under the collaborative’s action plan was to simply warn squeegee workers that walking in the roadway was a traffic violation and not permitted.

Said Gary Cordner, Academic Director in the Education and Training Section of the Baltimore Police Department (BPD), “We intentionally did not use panhandling statutes because of questions about their constitutionality. We felt that relying on the traffic code was a better approach because its focus is on safety, and any enforcement would be with traffic citations, not criminal citations or arrests.

“So, we decided to respond to the activity by warning young people who are observed squeegeeing in the roadway at least three times before issuing any citations. But, in fact, no citations have been written.”

Added Cordner, “When the plan was implemented, it focused on a handful of the most problematic intersections, which were high-traffic intersections that typically had several individuals squeegeeing every day.

“Realistically, it was expected that some of the squeegee guys would just move to other intersections, which did happen to some extent, but there was an overall reduction in the activity and the public's perception of the problem was calmed and complaints were reduced.”

Success to Date

In addition to anecdotal evidence of the program’s success, data collected since the Squeegee Action Plan was implemented in January 2023 indicates that more than 150 young people have been helped, and 48 of them have gotten jobs. And as of August 2024, 10 of the 64 school-age participants have returned to school, and 81 older individuals have been placed in jobs.

This data is tracked weekly and is made available to the public through the Squeegee Collaborative Report’s Story Map to ensure transparency and accountability.

Among the numerous success stories is that of a young squeegee worker who had previously experienced homelessness. In February 2023, he became involved in MOAAME's C2S program and received assistance in finding housing.

Although this teenager already had a part-time job, C2S provided him with a weekly stipend to help cover basic needs. The MOAAME team also connected him with comprehensive resources for healthcare and well-being and supported his education through the C2S Guided Curriculum Experience.

Just four months later, in June of 2023, this young man graduated from high school and is now planning to stay engaged with MOAAME throughout the summer while preparing to enroll in technical school in August.

More good news comes from the BPD, which reports that offenses related to squeegeeing have decreased by 85 percent since the collaborative program began.

The Squeegee Collaborative demonstrates how a comprehensive approach to identifying critical public health issues and bringing together a wide range of stakeholders who include representatives of the group that needs support leads to productive collaboration. Moreover, the open and honest dialogue that such a group generates is critical to finding effective solutions that meet the needs of our nation’s most vulnerable.

This was the City of Baltimore’s seventh organized attempt to solve a problem which has persisted for almost 40 years. To develop an effective and sustainable solution, MOAAME, BPD and the collaborative focused on providing services and resources which could prevent young people from feeling they had to go to the corner to earn money. This work will continue. The Mayor’s Office, the BPD, the City of Baltimore, and the community have committed to supporting the Squeegee Collaborative for the long term.

Faye C. Elkins
Sr. Technical Writer
COPS Office

Photos courtesy of the Mayor’s Office of African American Male Engagement (MOAAME).

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