As part of an effort to combat the negative image of panhandling downtown, the Business Improvement District’s downtown ambassadors will extend their season, and Manna recently produced pocket-sized guides outlining ordinances that govern the city and the county.
An additional $5,000 in funding from the city of Durango and the Durango Area Tourism Office will allow the ambassadors to work downtown every day from Thursday through mid-October to welcome and guide tourists, BID Executive Director Tim Walsworth said. The ambassador season was scheduled to end in mid-September.
The ambassador program is among several efforts aimed at addressing panhandling, including advocating for stricter laws and supporting nonprofits.
“There is not one single simple thing that will make this issue magically better,” Walsworth said.
Manna recently made 1,000 pocket guides and expects to work with the BID to give them to businesses, panhandlers and tourists, Manna Exective Director Kathy Tonnessen said.
The guide provides information on city ordinances that restrict drinking alcohol in public, smoking near doorways and littering. It also describes La Plata County restrictions on camping, littering and fires on county property.
Additionally, it lists resources, such as phone numbers for nonprofits and Manna’s meal times.
“Manna’s idea to develop the guide came out of our homeless coalition meetings, as well as meetings with downtown businesses, the sheriff’s department and the Business Improvement District,” Tonnessen said in a written statement. “We wanted locals and tourists to have something they can hand out and refer to when it comes to these important community issues.”
The guide has a perforated token that is redeemable at Manna for laundry, shower and client services. Manna expects its clients to work for tokens that gain them additional services, such as clothing and haircut vouchers. The free token in the guide is an incentive for people to hang on to the information rather than discarding it.
The Business Improvement District homeless outreach coordinator has the guides, which could be stacked next to the Make It Count donation boxes in businesses, Tonnessen said. The BID started the Make It Count donation campaign to encourage people to give to organizations that provider services and not to panhandlers.
Walsworth expects his downtown ambassadors may hand out the guides as well.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
