Spare Some Change? New Ways of Raising Money for the Homeless

by Ted Iobst · 2010-09-15 15:38:00 UTC
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Raising money for the homeless has always been a trying endeavor. Throw a recession into the mix, and you've got a nightmare for people looking to fill budget gaps in both the public and private sector. In times like these, public officials and non-profit fundraisers alike are getting creative with their fundraising efforts.

One idea that has come to the forefront in Nashville, Tennessee: parking meters. Inspired by similar programs in Denver and Miami, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean plans to set up five parking meters to collect donations for the homeless as part of the city's "Adopt A Meter" program. Each meter will have a corporate sponsor, and any change deposited will go to Key Alliance, a local Housing First group.

The recent popularity of programs like Nashville's has created a buzz among city governments trying to balance budgets and provide essential services at the same time. Orlando, too, has proposed using 15 recycled parking meters as "donation meters." Here's the catch: the plan allows cities to cut down on panhandling and raise money for homelessness prevention programs in one fell swoop. As homeless blogger SlumJack wrote here in April about the parking meter initiative in Santa Cruz, California: "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." The problem is that the money collected might not go to those who are being displaced, leaving many homeless people singing the blues in Music City.

In any case, Nashville has set an ambitious goal to expand its program over time to 30 meters. The combination of an auto-centric culture, increased corporate responsibility and the general public's growing disdain for coinage should translate to scalability. Denver already raises more than $100,000 annually, and that may just be the tip of the iceberg. Creative fundraisers who are willing to think outside of the box (and inside the meter) have shown how a little creativity can have a lot of impact.

Photo credit: Steven Depolo

Ted Iobst blogs about hunger, homelessness and poverty in Washington, D.C. at HelpTheDistrict.org and volunteers at Miriam's Kitchen.
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