It's not like there's a shortage of work that society needs done, but that capitalists won't be able to make money off of. I think this is a perfect target for getting people on their feet.
Maybe someone or a not profit could built an app which pays people for picking up trash. The user would take a pic of the trash then a pic of proper disposal. The user would get paid some small amount that varies based on item, maybe 5-20 cents. The company could use the exif data from the photos for various studies. That data could be resold or used to help companies built better products or realize their customers are ruining their brand by throwing Pepsi cans on the ground instead of the recycling bin. If you brought on the social media aspect your users could humble brag about the few dollars a month they make helping keep the earth clean.
The same people that are paying 1bn to build unprofitable housing? (I have to assume the housing is unprofitable or else it wouldn't be so difficult to build it)