Parking Meters Installed to Drive Panhandlers Away

Santa Cruz, California, has joined the growing number of cities that are turning to "parking meters" installed on city streets for the purpose of collecting donations to help homeless people. Funds raised will supposedly go toward things like bus tickets and IDs. Another purpose is to rid the streets of panhandlers. Personally, I can only wonder how many people are panhandling to buy bus tickets (to leave town?) or to pay fees for identification.

The meters are expected to collect $1,700 per year, so it's a good thing that the refurbishing and installation of these vintage meters will be paid for by private donations. Chances are that the cost of putting them in will be more than they earn the first year.

A county social worker will then be tasked with distributing the donations. Since the money is reserved for particular applications, this means it will go out in the form of vouchers or other non-cash disbursement. Fortunately, the bus tickets can then be used for people to go to and from the various county offices to get these bus tickets, their IDs, etc. And that will help keep them off the streets panhandling for ... well, anything else.

I'd like to see the real budget for maintaining the devices, collecting and managing the funds and paying for the workers and program operation. I'm no expert, but I can't help suspecting that the true expenses easily amount to many multiples of what those meters will actually bring in — or eventually deliver to any homeless people. In effect, this could be a fairly expensive and elaborate way to invest in mainly discouraging panhandlers that truly costs the public a lot more than just handing cash directly to those who need it.

Some reports about these kinds of meter programs are more frank in terms of the purpose of driving away panhandlers more than actually helping them. Such a ruse that doesn't raise a significant amount of money, or after paying for the administration of the program doesn't have much left, is often the basis of outlawing panhandling anyway. These can give an impression that the meters do a comparable job of providing equivalent resources, while not doing so at all.

Santa Cruz isn't immediately outlawing panhandling. Not right now, although other cities tend to institute this kind of oppression step-by-step, eventually trying or succeeding in criminalizing such typical homeless activity with more concerted efforts to drive them away. Oddly, until then, people preferring to collect their own donations will be competing with the meters.

I'm finding conflicting reports, with one saying the meters will be red but another saying they will be classified as "public art." If they somehow qualify as "art," existing code prohibits panhandling within 14 feet of the meters. What if panhandlers are also "artistic" in their approaches? Maybe Santa Cruz will inadvertantly be encouraging more creative donation solicitation and letting the public vote for their favorites directly with cash.

Photo credit: Mark Hillary