By Michael Bisch
We are seeking downtown locations, on private property, to install “giving meters” that will generate on-going funding for the Pathways to Employment program. Please see the photo of the orange meter for an example.
In an effort to meaningfully address downtown cleanliness as well as homelessness, the Davis non-profit and faith-based community launched Pathways to Employment in April 2017 with strong support from Sutter Health, the City of Davis, Yolo County, Davis Downtown and the Davis Chamber of Commerce. Pathways to Employment, managed by Davis Community Meals, is a transitional employment program for local homeless individuals.
Davis’ newest program giving a hand up to those in need is enlivening the downtown area, one block at a time. Pathways to Employment’s first task is to beautify Downtown Davis while at the same 
time building job skills, self-sufficiency and self-esteem.
Beautification puts the sparkle in downtown making it more attractive for shoppers while providing homeless and formerly homeless individuals gainful employment and opportunities to move ahead.
The goal of Pathways to Employment is to engage property-owners and businesses in a collaboration to make our downtown brighter and better while offering opportunities to our neediest community members. Would you consider granting us permission to install a giving meter in a highly visible, exterior location on your property? If so, please contact me at michael@davisproperty.com. We will send you technical specifications and requirements for the meters once we have them.
Please follow this link for more details on the Pathways to Employment program: https://employment.davispathways.org/
Michael Bisch is the owner of Davis Commercial Properties, a provider of commercial property management, leasing and brokerage services. He has served as a volunteer in a number of art, economic development and downtown-related community service efforts such as Arts Alliance Davis, JumpStart Davis, Pollinate Davis, Pathways to Employment, Radiate Art, the Downtown Parking Task Force and Davis Downtown.
Thanks for this Michael, and everyone else involved in this project. I am looking forward to seeing and donating at these locations. I am very excited about this project.
Not enough attention on this project – really didn’t know about it until Wednesday – but it seems like a solid approach. I’ll double back on it soon.
Just wondering – can I park in front of that meter, if I donate? (Sorry in advance for that.) 🙂
Don’t worry Ron, I’m sure before long you’ll be able to park in front of meters all over town as long as you pay for it, and they won’t be these ugly orange ones with a big ugly orange sign next to them.
A very good idea
This seems like a good and pragmatic approach in lieu of democratically-regulated funding solidarity (taxes). But it’s sort of obvious: Why don’t we also improve Downtown’s cleanliness by de-incentivizing driving there through an increase in the amount of paid parking, with a certain share of the income going to Pathways’? In any case I expect the Downtown-With-My-Car people to over-represent in donations as part of their pathway to responsibility.
I am also curious about how Sutter Health directly interfaces with the homelsss population of Davis beyond their support of this not purely-medical preventive health measure.