Sixteen-year-old Kevin Barber was inspired by a TED Talk and working in the ER where his mom is a doctor to start a program to provide day jobs for the homeless in San Diego.
His program is based on a similar one in New Mexico where panhandlers were paid to clean up the streets in return for a wage and access to social services.
Barber worked with the City of San Diego and Alpha Project to get funding and the right people to run the "Wheels of Change" program.
Barber's mom provided the seed money to buy a van to pick up about a dozen people a week from the Alpha Project shelter. Three times a week the homeless work five hours a day picking up trash around the city for an $11.50/hour wage paid in cash.
NBC 7's Marianne Kushi speaks to Kevin Barber, San Diego City Councilman Scott Sherman and Hope Bermudez who is a "Wheels of Change" participant. The show will air on Sunday, August 12 at 9 a.m. on NBC7.
