Atlanta turns to donation meters to curb panhandling

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin said Wednesday the city is putting five “donation meters” downtown for people to contribute money for homeless outreach services.

The yellow and black meters are part of a new campaign to discourage pushy panhandlers — titled “Give Change That Makes Sense” — by city officials and community leaders

The effort will include stepped-up policing and urging property owners downtown to discourage panhandling and loitering.

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“We believe that this effort will help those in need more than any handout ever will,” said Kathleen Bertrand, a senior vice president of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Homeless advocates say such initiatives demonize people who need help.

The meters will be put outside City Hall, the Fulton County Courthouse, the Georgia World Congress Center, the Hilton Atlanta hotel and the Atlanta Police Department Zone 5 precinct. More meters will be placed upon request, city officials said.

Some City Council members discussed the idea of donation meters about three years ago when they passed tougher guidelines on people panhandling downtown. Franklin said the city started to think about installing meters in Atlanta after visiting Denver, which has donation meters, earlier this year.

The mayor put the first quarter in the meter during a news conference at City Hall.

“It is an alternative [to giving to panhandlers],” Franklin said of the meters.

City officials said the money for the program — $40,000 — is coming from Central Atlanta Progress, the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Atlanta Police Foundation and the Georgia World Congress Center.

City officials say the public education effort — which will be rolled out at downtown hotels, businesses, residences and convention centers and in radio spots — will suggest the names of organizations where people can contribute and help the homeless. Also, the city will try to bring the homeless into programs for counseling and treatment.

Officials believe the homeless presence downtown has worsened because of a shaky economy and because social workers have been targeting those who were marginally homeless. This leaves the most hardened cases for last, she said.

City leaders also say this is a public safety issue. A man was shot to death two weeks ago after arguing with a panhandler. A suspect was arrested and charged with murder.

The newest campaign follows last month’s police operation to arrest aggressive beggars. The roundup was the largest since the city passed an anti-panhandling ordinance in 2005. The arrests coincided with attempts to stem loitering at Woodruff Park and Barbara Asher Square near the Five Points MARTA station.

In August, undercover Atlanta police posing as tourists made 48 arrests on charges of “aggressive” panhandling — asking again for money after being refused or following or blocking the path of a pedestrian.