OneBlock UWS in the Press

The coverage

• West Side Rag · October 27, 2020 · by Lisa Kava

  OneBlock Employs Men Impacted by Homelessness to Help Clean UWS

  West Side Rag explains how OneBlock, a volunteer program where Upper West Siders adopt a block to clean, grew from 70 to about 1,600 volunteers in two months and began paying three formerly homeless men, hired through the nonprofit ACE, to clean the avenues. Ann joined founder Jake Russell as a partner, helped design the merchandise and clean-up days, and covered the men's first month of pay while a fundraiser got going.

  “I’m focused on action and getting things done.”

  Ann Cutbill Lenane, in West Side Rag

  “We wanted to give those who have experienced homelessness good jobs, while cleaning up the streets on the Upper West Side”

  Ann Cutbill Lenane, in West Side Rag

  Read the original article

• New York Post · September 21, 2020 · by Jane Ridley

  Volunteers take matters into their own hands and clean up NYC neighborhood (print: “This litter bugs: Fed-up crew sweeps UWS streets”)

  The Post profiles OneBlockUWS, a volunteer group begun in late summer 2020 in which neighbors adopt a block and clean it twice a week. Jake Russell started it, and about 400 people signed up within weeks. Ann, who markets herself as Annie Gets It Done, reached out and joined forces with him, citing sanitation cuts. The group planned to hire three paid cleaners through a homeless-employment nonprofit.

  “There have been a series of budget cuts to the Sanitation Department and it really shows”

  Ann Cutbill Lenane, in New York Post

  “It’s wonderful to watch all these New Yorkers come together and make change happen.”

  Ann Cutbill Lenane, in New York Post

  Read the original article

• Financial Times · October 3, 2020 · by Mamta Badkar, Billy Nauman and Marc Filippino

  New York volunteers pick up trash as city cuts collections

  The Financial Times uses Upper West Side volunteer cleanups to illustrate New York's budget squeeze. Ann, a luxury broker and co-founder of OneBlock UWS with Jake Russell, has helped sign up about 500 volunteers and jokes about a singles garbage night. The piece then explains the sanitation cuts after pandemic revenue losses, rising 311 complaints and the political fight over taxing the wealthy to fund services.

  “I want to do a singles garbage night”

  Ann Cutbill Lenane, in Financial Times

  Read the original article (subscription may be required)

• Douglas Elliman · July 18, 2021

  Thank You, Ann!

  A Douglas Elliman notice congratulates Ann for turning the pandemic year into a chance to build community. When budgets were cut, she co-founded One Block, a volunteer street-cleaning effort, and hired three formerly homeless workers. It points readers to OneBlockUWS.org and carries the hashtags #AnnieGetsItDone and #OneBlock.

  “Douglas Elliman would like to congratulate our very own Ann Cutbill Lenane on turning the challenges of the past year into an opportunity to build community.”

  Douglas Elliman

  Read the original article (archived copy)