Fall is officially two weeks away, but Labor Day traditionally closes the “summer” season in Durango.
The holiday also ended the Business Improvement District’s first summer effort to reduce panhandling downtown. It may be too soon to judge how effective it was, but it is not too early to applaud the program.
Panhandling, and related complaints, rose sharply after the American Civil Liberties Union warned the city in 2014 that its ordinance against loitering for the purpose of begging was a violation of free speech.
BID’s response was trifold: It hired outreach coordinator Thomas Bates to contact panhandlers directly to discuss available services, and to make sure they avoided aggressive behavior.
BID provided businesses with donation boxes, asking locals and tourists to donate money to charitable organizations instead of rewarding panhandling efforts directly. That effort raised $500.
The district also sent out “ambassadors” to greet tourists in an effort to counter any negative impressions created by the increase in panhandling downtown.
Director Tim Walsworth will admit that problems remain, but that is one more reason for BID to continue next year. It is an affordable program and supported by local businesses.
The amount collected in the donation boxes may not seem impressive, but in some locations the boxes are not easily located, and many locals are just now learning about them.
The ambassador program was well-received, and is a good idea for a town so dependent on tourist dollars, with or without the underlying motive of countering bad first impressions.
Collaboration with the newly formed Durango Homeless Coalition should make outreach efforts more effective next year, and the district is looking forward to hearing comments from locals shoppers and business owners.
We hope all parties involved will spend the colder months preparing for renewed efforts next year, including extending the summer season to include the Taste of Durango in May and the Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering in September.
That is important: Colder temperatures create the impression that panhandling and homeless problems go away by themselves, but that is mistaken.
As Durango grows, these issue are undoubtedly here to stay.
