Portland nonprofit creates currency for homeless
PORTLAND, Ore. – You probably walk or drive by panhandlers all the time. You might not give them any money, but plenty of people do.
Do you ever wonder what they buy?
Travis Vanstaaveren says he’s found something better to give than cash.
“It’s a homeless currency. A Lot of people don't want to give (the) homeless cash, so they buy tokens from us,” he said.
Vanstaaveren is the Executive Director of Sanctity of Hope, a nonprofit run by volunteers who are distributing tokens in the community that the homeless can use to buy goods and services at participating businesses. They can't use them to buy cigarettes, drugs or alcohol.
“I didn’t have too much trouble giving cash to the homeless,” said Vanstaaveren. “I figured it was not up to me what they did with the money. But I knew a lot of people who did care, but wanted to give.”
Homeless man Dee Stewart said he makes about $50 per day panhandling downtown. He said he uses money to buy food, cigarettes and sometimes a motel room.
“There are some that would go out and do drugs with it,” Stewart said. “I don’t drink. I don’t do drugs. I feed my wife. I feed myself and sometimes put us up in a motel if we get enough.”
Vanstaaveren’s tokens cost one dollar each. He said he has about 12 businesses on board with idea. One token can buy a taco. Two can buy a clean shirt.
“I think the best use of a token is individual,” said Vanstaaveren. “One on one.”
Tokens only buy what people need rather than what they might want.
"I'm trying to get back on my feet," said Stewart.
The problem of homelessness is more systemic than the various solutions imply. Â America is a nation of inequitable distribution of wealth. Â We have enough for everyone to have a good life, but the country chooses to have winners and loser, rich and poor, us vs. them...
The difficulty is that people experiencing homelessness are "us." Â Â There is no "them." Â At truth, we are all the same...
I created a documentary discussing one woman's experience with homelessness -Â http://youtu.be/yFqO5NmyHYQ
Giving someone some money or tokens to temporarily help is a good thing - for the opening of the hearts that give and the preservation of life for the receiver. Â But this problem is likely to continue as long as we compete so much, separate people into categories, and value (pay) people's contributions differently and arbitrarily.
The token idea has been done before in Seattle. But as an earlier poster commented, it doesn't go far enough. What I'd like to see is an actual job and housing center exclusively for homeless households. There would be no cash handouts, but a focus on jobs and housing. Have voicemail banks avaiable, job training access, fees for appropriate tools, clothes, shoes would be covered by the center; a connection with housig programs to link homeless to housing; drug and alcohol rehab services; and mental health access. The last two most likely done off site, but no reason an NA or AA group couldn't meet at the site. And of course, the tokens to cover needs in the mean time.
@jaubertmoniker @JucheMane how about this one npr.org\/blogs\/thetwo-wâ¦2QK
@jaubertmoniker @JucheMane that is basically a liberty dollar.
I had thought that the Sister's of the Road meal "Meal Coupon" were a great idea. My experience has been that the pan handlers that have signs asking from money for food, do not want the coupons. One even told me she has hundreds of them at home. I still carry them with me but I've not been able to give one away in a long time. These tokens sound like another bad idea. There are several food kitchens in Portland so it's hard to believe that hunger is the real issue. I will not hand money since I don't think that is the proper solution. You ultimately have to do what you believe is right. Trust your judgement. If possible help out at a food kitchen. If you do give money then you have to let go of what it is used for. Offer to buy them a meal. Just something to think of.
Another token gesture for people to feel good about, but doesn't solve the problem.
@catches_stars I am glad there are people out there who can decide what people need for them better than they can decide for themselves.
@rusty_rebar Right? I was steaming about this earlier. I also have a pretty huge grudge against attitudes in Portland so I was fuuuming.
I accidentally deleted my post...
(Give a man a fish...) Instead of us finding ways of giving the homeless money (without giving them money), we should find ways of teaching them skills they can use to get themselves out of homelessness. This "token" idea is a good start but it's not the solution.
It must be nice to know what will fix the world. Tokens. Chuckie Cheese the visionary
Do the businesses get to turn back in the tokens to the non profit for money? Or, are these businesses donating their goods and services?Â
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@catches_stars oh my god wow this is disgusting
@porkbelt tinyurl.com\/c9uzrgn\/kw1wgfâ¦4RF
@barrier_trio dont give stuff to panhandlers at all imo
@animeirl idk if you're being serious
@barrier_trio ig i think it'd be better to find something to contribute to that actually tries to improve the situation
@animeirl buy homeless people the tools of revolution
@animeirl yeah
@barrier_trio i guess the logic could be "i want my money to actually go towards helping them" but again id place my money somewhere else
@animeirl yeah I can agree with that, I just dislike the "they'll just spend it on drugs those lazy bums" stuff
@barrier_trio i feel like people do it to clear their concience without actually doing anything to solve homelessness
@animeirl yeah but in the mean time there's people on the streets who need to eat. I mean it's up to you how to spend the money but, idk
@catches_stars lol won't people just sell the tokens?
@catches_stars I'm handing out switchblades to homeless people to non-fatally stab anyone that gives them a token.
@catches_stars jesus christ
@catches_stars how many give tokens do i need to cash in for Human Dignity
@ZackHoagie @catches_stars I'm wondering that my self.
@ZackHoagie @catches_stars we don't trust you with Grown Up Money so take these Monopoly dollars instead
@catches_stars wow a new way to rob the homeless of their dignity! cool!
@Are_Kelly @catches_stars do you remember last (?) SXSW when some company turned homeless people into wifi hotspots
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@electrolemon @Sevipervert @Are_Kelly @catches_stars lol people are monsters
@electrolemon @Are_Kelly @catches_stars Wow gosh, thanks for the favor guys. I couldn't help these people w\/o personal gain &being forced to
@Sevipervert @Are_Kelly @catches_stars yeah, they even tried to defend it saying it "forced people to create a dialogue with the homeless"
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@Are_Kelly @catches_stars @electrolemon wow austin is so hip trendy and underground!!!!
@catches_stars @electrolemon yep definitely kept austin weird! LOL!
@catches_stars Iâm starting to think Portlandia is a documentary.
@kingsockeye this is so portland it hurts
This just in:
People have been not providing homeless people with food or money, since the dramatic change in people aiding laziness job applications have since been on the rise. Lets go live to the department of labor to get there take on it.
Well since these people can no longer get money for drugs, they have been able to sober up and make better decisions in life.
This is Captain Hindsight reporting
One of the downtown missions used to, or still do, give out some tokens that are exchangeable for food and/or shelter. That to me is acceptable. This is just going to create something they can trade for booze and tobacco and drugs amongst themselves. Or they will be mugged for them.Â
This will cause more issues than it will solve.
Whoever, except as authorized by law, makes or utters or passes, or attempts to utter or pass, any coins of gold or silver or other metal, or alloys of metals, intended for use as current money, whether in the resemblance of coins of the United States or of foreign countries, or of original design, shall be fined under this title (!1) or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
18 U.S.C. § 486 : US Code - Section 486@lakeview These tokens are not "intended for use as current money". They are intended to be like a voucher or a ticket. I sure the homeless don't get 3cents back when they trade the token for a 97cent taco. Misinterpreted law.
@lakeview I have 60,000 Chuck E Cheese tokens that I intend to use to as a down payment on a new boat. Should I be talking to a lawyer?
@lakeview That holds ZERO water in liberal P-Town. Warm & fuzzy beats actual law any day.
BTW, technically, this is totally against the federal law. You can't create your own currencies, period.Â
And this is why Portland is the cheap heroin capital of the USA for young transients.Â
Good, now I can go up to them and ask them if they have a buck I could have.
And yet during a Congressional Hearing last week, the VA admitted to Veterans dying waiting for care up to Eight Months.
http://on.fb.me/108OvXv
@Constitution Warrior Vietnam Veterans are still waiting, after 50 years, for their benefits....
Is the Panhandlers Union OK with this? Sad day when a bum makes more than I do working.
No joke
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_Panhandlers%27_Union