'We're not all bums': Giving back in the downtown

Seeing a group of people tidying up the sidewalks and back alleys in the downtown just might give you a different perspective.

That's the view of Wes Zawertailo, the Executive Director of People Lived Experience Society, a non-profit that gets people back into basic work.

The workers get $20 an hour and typically do a four or five hour shift. The whole idea is to offer people who are homeless, or on their recovery from addiction, a chance to be useful and get paid for it.

Zawertailo says the downtown is for everyone and these people want to give back. The program let's them step into new roles for themselves. In helping them do that, their lives are improved and so too is the community.

One of the workers, Adele, let us know why she thinks the program is so valuable, making it clear not everyone who is struggling in the downtown are "bums and rob dogs" as she put it.

Check out the video.