PORTLAND, Maine — Portland is considering a plan that would put panhandlers to work and get them off street corners and medians.
Under this new program, the city would offer panhandlers minimum wage — which in the city is $10.68 an hour — for cleaning parks and doing other jobs involving light labor.
The 36-week pilot program is modeled after one in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“We know there are still going to be people standing on street corners,” City Manager Jon Jennings told the Portland Press Herald. “But we’re trying to help people who feel they have to do that and give them hope for a positive future.”
While Albuquerque is much larger than Portland, city officials hope it also will be successful in Portland.
Panhandling has been a growing concern in Portland.
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The city tried banning panhandling on street medians, citing public safety concerns, but the law was challenged in courts and deemed an unconstitutional infringement on free speech.
City officials say the goal is not just to get people to stop standing at intersections, but to also get them working again and connect them with other social services to help them.
The proposal is expected to go before the Portland City Council later this month.