Ready, Willing & Able, a program of the Doe Fund, is back on Grand Avenue after a very long absence. Grand Avenue was cleaned by the “Men in Blue” from 2008-2010, but when State funding dried up, the service was discontinued in Maspeth. Unfortunately, the trash returned immediately, mainly because public waste baskets are unlawfully used by nearby residents that fill the bins with household garbage. Now the City has funded the program for Grand Avenue and the Men in Blue are back to business.

This is a wonderful program that provides employment to homeless men looking to improve their lives. The Doe Fund explains, “Since Ready, Willing & Able launched in 1990, it has used paid transitional work and a holistic, individualized service package to catapult individuals into the workforce and out of cycles of homelessness, crime, and addiction.” We welcome back the Doe Fund and we’re looking forward to a cleaner Grand Avenue. You will find the workers there on Tuesday and Thursday. We hope the program will soon be expanded to other major commercial corridors in the district, such as Metropolitan Avenue and Fresh Pond Road.