'Downtown Cares' aims to curb panhandling

If you see donation boxes labeled “Downtown Cares” inside businesses in the heart of the city in the coming weeks, then the Sarasota Downtown Merchants Association’s campaign to raise public awareness about panhandling is working.

Ron Soto, president of the merchants group and owner of Soto’s Optical, is spearheading the project. Called Downtown Cares, the program will place donation boxes in 36 downtown businesses to raise money for homelessness service providers.

The goal is to educate the public about the risks of direct donations to panhandlers, Soto said. The boxes include cards that state studies indicate 93% of the cash given to people on the street is spent on alcohol, drugs or other illicit activities, echoing a claim made by Robert Marbut, a homelessness consultant the city and county hired last year.

Money the downtown businesses gather will go to the Salvation Army (which will receive the majority), Resurrection House and Harvest House, Soto said. A sign posted on Main Street near Soto’s Optical discourages panhandling, a tool effective enough that Soto is ordering three more to install throughout the downtown area.

All in all, Soto said, progress has been made in reducing panhandling downtown. He hopes that, through the Downtown Cares campaign, even more people are made aware of the potential problems stemming from the handouts.

“It is way less (of a problem) than it was six months ago,” Soto said. “We’re on the right track.”