LA Volunteer Cleans Streets and Helps Thousands in Need

While most people walk past East Los Angeles' forgotten corners, Juan Naula runs toward them with cleaning supplies and compassion.

Through his nonprofit Clean LA With Me, Naula has encountered thousands of unhoused Angelenos during his mission to fight the city's waste crisis. He's found people living in bridge pillars, drainage pipes, and abandoned pedestrian tunnels near schools, places most would never think to look.

"These are humans; they are human beings," Naula says simply. "They should get help."

Six months ago, while cleaning near Soto Elementary, Naula discovered people living inside old pedestrian tunnels built in the 1920s and 1930s to help children safely cross busy streets. When he returned last week, he found the area filled with trash and at least one person still sheltering inside, though they refused his offer of help.

Naula doesn't just clean up the neighborhoods. He connects with the people living there, working with other nonprofits to gather resources like food, water, clothing, and hygiene kits for his unhoused neighbors.

His discovery has prompted action from Mayor Karen Bass' office, which called the living conditions "unacceptable and tragic" and is now working with city officials to address the situation. The city reports street homelessness is down nearly 18 percent after years of increases, though some residents say they haven't seen the change yet.

The Ripple Effect

Naula's grassroots approach shows how one person's commitment can spark wider community change. His social media presence is growing as more Angelenos discover his work and want to join the movement, whether by volunteering at cleanup events, donating supplies, or contributing funds.

The nonprofit relies on everyday people stepping up to help their neighbors in crisis. Clean LA With Me hosts regular cleanup events where volunteers can make an immediate difference in their own communities while connecting unhoused people with essential services.

What started as one man picking up trash has become a growing network of compassion. Naula proves that seeing humanity in everyone, even in the city's most overlooked places, can restore dignity and inspire others to act.

One street, one neighbor, one act of kindness at a time, LA is getting cleaner and more connected.

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