https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/new-orleans-organization-working-to-promote-cleanliness/289-f5bd81e5-0f4a-437a-8324-5014c65cd306 The large, unhoused population here in New Orleans is not just about people who don't have homes. Advocates will tell you in many cases it's about people dealing with mental health issues and substance abuse problems. A city council committee has planned to talk on Wednesday about initiatives that can help, but there are some groups getting ahead of the curve. A movement, early in its creation, called the 'Culture of Cleanliness,' has been tackling this tremendous task. "We want to shift the culture in the city of New Orleans," said Sage Michael, one of the Co-Founders of the Culture of Cleanliness. As a New Orleans Native, Michael said the city has a rich culture with food and music at the forefront. However, he also said there is a culture of dumping, which has left behind mountains of trash. "If you think about it, the success of Mardi Gras is measured by the amount of trash we collect," said Michael. "People just throw trash out the window and dump it wherever. Then that ends up in our water ways and our drains." Thanks to a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency and the hard work of dozens of local organizations, the group has been working to clean up the city. In the long term, they plan to focus on keeping our waterways and drainage systems litter free, but right now, they are focusing on the streets. "I'm here to solve problems at the root of the cause and meet people where they are because we are all one step away from homelessness," said Michael. In 2020, the homeless population in the city of New Orleans increased for the first time in decades. With this in mind the team has been focusing on cleaning up spaces near overpasses, often times near homeless encampments. At a cleanup near Clio and Claiborne, the group cleared a mountain of trash which included a mattress, a boat, and countless scraps of trash. However, Culture of Cleanliness was most concerned about the over 500 needles found on site. "The biggest environmental problem we had is needles, spread out all along the ground, just visible just out with blood in with different types of needles. It's a hazard. In this one spot that’s a study right there that’s a sample but it’s a cross the whole city people have said I’ve seen it," Michael said. "On the Riverwalk, I’ve seen in the parks, I’ve seen it in all these places that were supposed to enjoy so we are exposing the issue and we’re hoping that he catches a weave so we can really address the root cause." Michael added that the root cause goes back to mental health and substance abuse. Advocates have said more resources from the city and surrounding communities are needed to address these issues head on. Pharmacist Dreama Goldsmith, who has provided cleanup crews with sharps containers, said there are tools that can help with the problem. "From a healthcare standpoint, it's also important for us to know that we have places for people to dispose of their needles that they are using, because we can't fix everything, we can't stop people from using but we can at least provide some means for them to dispose of them in a clean way," Goldsmith said. Goldsmith also added that while addiction is a city-wide problem, there is much more that needs to be addressed. "We have more issues with addiction. Other than opioids we have alcoholism, we have mental health issues that need to be addressed. I think that creating more programs for people so that when they do come to the hospital, they have a plan when they discharged not to just go back under the bridge or wherever else they were coming from to be back in the same exact situation," Goldsmith said. It has been over a week since the culture of cleanliness crew came out to clean the underpass near Clio and Claiborne, and already there is another pile of trash, but Michael said he is not letting that deter him. "It's all about consistency. Letting people know they are not forgotten, not our environment, not our people. It didn't happen overnight so it's not going to be solved overnight," Michael said. Their push to shift the culture of cleanliness continues with events scheduled for weeks to come.