After the summer rollout of a slew of solutions to reduce panhandling downtown, the business community is split on the effort’s effectiveness.

Public outcry about panhandling last year led the Business Improvement District to hire an outreach coordinator to work with the panhandling community directly. Also, ambassadors were hired to greet and guide tourists. It also ramped up a public relations campaign asking everyone to give to charities, not panhandlers. In addition, BID provided donation boxes to businesses.

About $500 has been raised thus far from the boxes, Executive Director Tim Walsworth said.

Panhandling became far more visible after the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the city in fall 2014 stating that Durango’s ordinance against loitering for the purposes of begging violated free-speech rights.

The city has since revised its laws to cover safety concerns such as aggressive panhandling.

BID’s programs followed the law’s changes, and this summer, the number of complaints to the Durango business group about panhandlers dropped dramatically, Walsworth said.

“People are never shy about telling us what they don’t like,” he said.

Although it is clear the problem is not solved, Thomas Bates, BID’s outreach coordinator, has done the most effective work by talking with panhandlers and educating them on where to get services and what is acceptable behavior on Main Avenue, Walsworth said.

“Speaking to folks on a regular basis is a big part of why my phone isn’t ringing off the hook,” he added.

Bates worked for the BID from June through August.

Walsworth is looking to work with the newly formed Durango Homeless Coalition to make sure similar outreach happens next year, but he is not sure what the collaboration will look like yet.

“It would be great if there would be a team of people that could do outreach,” he said.

Six downtown ambassadors have been well-received, and during an hour on the job, they will have five or six conversations. They’ve had almost 3,000 interactions with tourists this summer, Walsworth said. This will be the ambassadors’ last week on the job this summer.

BID paid $10,000 for the program, and the Durango Chamber of Commerce gave $2,000 to support the program. BID hopes to hire ambassadors again next year and to expand their hours to include key events, such as the Taste of Durango and the Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

“We learned the ambassadors are really valuable,” he said.

While BID’s complaints are down, the number of meals Manna Soup Kitchen served through the end of July were even with last year at about 37,000.

In response to some concerns that Manna Soup Kitchen contributes to panhandling downtown by offering services, Manna’s executive director, Kathy Tonnessen, and her board did outreach to businesses, talking with people this summer to make it clear the soup kitchen does not support panhandling.

“People were super gracious,” she said.

At Fired Up Pizzeria, 741 Main Ave., the change has been dramatic, said owner Tad Brown. Last year, he had issues with people harassing his hostesses and waitresses, and with panhandlers coming into the restaurant.

“Last summer, there was a lot of conflict. There was a lot of strife,” he said.

But after BID’s efforts and removing his outdoor seating on the sidewalk in front of his business, problems decreased.

However, others have not seen similar changes.

Flagrant trespassing at the Strater Hotel is an ongoing problem, General Manager Michelle Martinez said.

She has dealt with people trying to break into guests’ rooms or hiding in the building.

In one case, a man got into the building’s ventilation system and broke through the ceiling, she said.

“The police say: ‘Just put up no trespassing signs.’ ... There’s got to be something else done,” she said.

While Sam Christensen, owner of Ultimate Mountain Living, 858 Main Ave., has not seen the same level of trespassing problems, the number of panhandlers and the atmosphere they can create has remained unchanged, he said.

“I can see people feeling unsafe,” he said.

Many people take advantage of tourists’ generosity, he said. But it’s tough to reach tourists with education about giving to charity and not panhandlers, he said.

The rise in the visibility of panhandling last year led to a conversation about the need to address homelessness more effectively, and it is clear the community needs a shelter for those with addictions or felonies who have no options in town, Tonnessen said.

Within the Homeless Coalition, committees are working on panhandling problems, but they need to build more political will, she said.

“We need big players at the table that want to work on this issue. ... We need people that have some power and influence in this area,” she said.

mshinn@durangoherald.com