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Palo Alto Downtown Business & Professional Association
721 Emerson Street, Palo Alto CA 94301
Phone : 650-223-4334
www.paloaltodowntown.com
Volunteer Opportunities :
Please learn how you & your downtown business can become involved in the Association.
We are always seeking interested parties who have the vision to help us improve the downtown business enviornment.
Email us your contact information or we invite you to attend one of our monthly meetings to learn more.
Fiscal 2009-2010Calender : 09-10 calendar
Palo Alto's Downtown Streets Team has been named one of the nation's "Top 50 Government Innovations" by the Ash Institute at Harvard University's John F.Kennedy School of Government.
The honor puts the streets team in contention for one of the institute's six annual Innovations in American Govern ment Awards, which will be announced in September. Regardless of whether it wins, the honor could help the nonprofit raise money as its model catches on in cities around the country.
Founded in May 2005, the Downtown Streets Team enlists homeless people to clean up Palo Alto streets in exchange for housing and shelter vouchers. Dozens of the program's alumni have gone on to find permanent homes or jobs.
"What we were attracted to in this pro gram is its ability to engage panhandlers on the street and not only get them off the street but empower them by giving them jobs," said Kate Hoagland, spokeswoman for the Ash Institute. "They're really giv ing people a new chance at life."
Streets team President Eileen Richard son said she was thrilled with the recogni tion. "I'm so proud. It's a really huge deal, and I definitely did not understand it was so huge at first."
In fact, Richardson said, when Harvard first called to encourage her to apply, she told them she didn't have time. As the program's only full-time employee, she spends almost every hour of her day work ing with clients, alumni and donors. After some encouragement from the university that the program stood a chance of being honored, she enlisted her son to help her with the applications.
The work paid off. On the "Top 50" list, the streets team is in the company of much larger initiatives such as California's Global Warming Solutions Act and New York City's Center for Economic Opportunity. Other California honorees were Los Angeles' Terminal Island Renewable Energy Project; the Sacramento Munici pal Utility District's Greenergy initiative; Santa Clara County's Online Inmate Information and Jail Visit Reservation System; and Chula Vista's Residential Abandoned Property Program.
While the Ash Institute's list is de signed to steer attention and funding to ward worthy programs, the Downtown Streets Team was thriving even before the recognition. Its budget, fed by grants, family foundation donations and city contracts, has doubled each year since its inception and is now $400,000 annu ally, Richardson said. And its success has spawned imitators, including a franchise in Daytona Beach, Fla., that launched in January.
Richardson expects to soon celebrate the 100th team member to find either a job or a home with the program's help.
Palo Alto police spokesman Dan Ryan said the program has made a big difference downtown. "It gives people a little bit of a step up and an opportunity to break out of the cycle they're in, whether it be social issues, some sort of dependency issues or something more. I think it's a fantastic program, and we should be doing much more of this kind of thing."
For more information on the Down town Streets Team, visit : http://www.streetsteam.com
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