Sorry, I gave at the meter
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 5:38PM It's been my experience that one's chances for getting approached for "spare change" in Manchester are probably better on the Merrimack Street block between Elm and Chestnut streets than anywhere else in the city.
Having worked and (until recently) lived downtown for the past two-plus years, I have become familiar with many of the characters - homeless and otherwise - who panhandle in the central business district. It used to be my practice to give $1 to anyone who asked for money. I have since adopted the approach of refusing all cash requests. Instead, I now offer to buy food for those who claim hunger. Thus far only one gentleman has taken me up on this offer.
I'm still not sure what the best course of action is with regard to panhandlers. I want to help these individuals, but I don't want to encourage panhandling and enable the alcohol and drug addictions suffered by many people on the streets. That's why I'm intrigued by the concept of homeless meters.
Homeless meters are old coin-fed parking meters - often repainted a bright color to differentiate them from parking meters - placed in high foot traffic areas in which individuals can deposit change they might otherwise give (or not) directly to panhandlers. The collected money is then donated to local homeless shelters, soup kitchens and other nonprofit organizations that serve the homeless.
The homeless meter concept was begun in Baltimore a couple of years ago, but has been used most extensively in Denver, as part of that city's 10-year plan to end homelessness. According to an article in USA Today, homeless meters have helped reduce panhandling along Denver's mile-long pedestrian thoroughfare by 92 percent. The meters also being used in cities like Nashville, Phoenix and San Francisco. Why not Manchester?
Over the past two years, Manchester has replaced some 900 coin-operated parking meters in downtown and the Millyard with new electronic Pay-and-Display meters. Sold for $15 each, the old meters have proved to be quite the collector's item.
But what if just a few of these meters could be converted to homeless meters? According to Marketplace, Montreal recently opted to do this when that city replaced its old coin-fed meters with electronic ones:
Homeless meters aren't mentioned in the city's recently-released Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness. And I'm sure they wouldn't raise a ton of cash for organizations like New Horizons for New Hampshire, but as someone who used to be shaken down at least twice a week, I think it's a idea worth trying.
Reader Comments (3)
Great blog, Will. It's nice to get a chance to read your work again. You have a distinctly wry, dry voice.
Thanks, Rob!
Can we trust the city to give the money to it's proper place?