The difficulty of cleaning up vacant lots gained a lot of attention locally and nationally thanks to bulldog developer Ori Feibush, whose independent cleanup irked the city, which provked Feibush, which eventually resulted in the city accepting Feibush's help.

 

Since 2003, a group of homeless men and ex-offenders have been cleaning and greening vacant lots throughuout the city as part of a partnership with Ready, Willing & Able and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

 

Ready, Willing & Able is a transitional work and housing organization for homeless men throughout Philadelphia. Its 9-to-12-month program works to combat homelessness, addiction, and criminal recidivism by providing paid transitional work, occupational training, housing, and comprehensive support services.

 

The PHS Land Care program draws Ready Willing & Able participants, or the "men in blue," as they are known, who provide landscaping services as well as trash collection from vacant lots suffering from years of neglect. This work helps the men gain marketable skills and experience, and also an opportunity to give back to communities many once called home and where many friends and family still live today.