Center City Philadelphia

Contact Information:
Michelle Shannon, Vice President of Marketing and Communications
michelle@centercityphila.org
215.440.5515

RJ White, Manager of Media Relations & Interactive Marketing
rwhite@centercityphila.org
215.440.5550

Center City District, City of Philadelphia Partner to Offer Panhandling Alternatives

(October 22, 2008) – There is now a way to ensure that your spare change will provide real change for people in Philadelphia who are homeless. In partnership with the City of Philadelphia and major service providers, the Center City District (CCD) has renewed the “Real Change” public information campaign to encourage Philadelphians to give to eight area organizations that provide real help to those in need.

Instead of giving spare change to panhandlers, who often use the money to support destructive addictions, the public will be urged to give those organizations who work successfully to provide housing, meals, job training and social and medical services to people who are homeless in Philadelphia. The message will be communicated through nine local newspapers, through Center City transit shelters, through “Real Change” donation boxes in downtown stores and office building and online at (MakeRealChange.org).

The Real Change boxes, which will appear in participating Center City stores and businesses, will also feature tear-off forms with information about how to make larger contributions to support “Real Change.”

The first phase of the campaign is a reprise and update of the 1990s version of this message, noting that giving change to panhandlers on the street is often counter-productive. The second phase focuses upon individuals whose lives have been transformed by organizations providing food, shelter, counseling and employment. The redesign of the campaign was carried out by LevLane, a Center City-based ad agency.

The organizations designated as agents of “Real Change” are Project H.O.M.E.; Mary Howard Health Center; SELF, Inc.; the Bethesda Project; Ready, Willing and Able; Horizon House; the Mental Health Association of Southeast Pennsylvania; and the Center City District Foundation, which provides job opportunities for disadvantaged workers.

“Even in times of economic downturn, Philadelphians are generous to those in need,” noted CCD President Paul R. Levy. “The “Real Change” campaign helps educate the public about the most constructive ways to help those who are homeless.”

“Real Change” is one component of a comprehensive approach to address homelessness in Philadelphia that Mayor Michael Nutter is supporting.

“We need to recognize the fact that giving directly to panhandlers is not an effective way to help those who are most in need," said Mayor Nutter. "Too often, panhandlers are not homeless and suffer from addictions. The best thing that we can do is to support the kinds of organizations that help people turn their lives around and enter recovery. I commend the Center City District and Real Change campaign partners for the real leadership that they have shown in informing the public on how they can best help those who need help.”

“The vast majority of Philadelphians are caring persons who understand that meeting the needs of our homeless sisters and brothers is not only the humane thing to do, but it makes Philadelphia a stronger and more healthy city as a whole,” said Sister Mary Scullion, co-found and Executive Director of Project H.O.M.E. “They want to find a way to make a positive difference, and this campaign offers one important, concrete way to be part of the solution.”

There are issues in this world we will never agree on. Ending homelessness is not one of them.” Kate Houstoun, Deputy Director for Ready, Willing & Able. “It is imperative that we work together -- businesses, residents, social service providers, and city leaders – to end this crisis once and for all. For every man or woman we see lying on our sidewalks today there are hundreds of others who took that opportunity to work, took that invitation to treatment, took that hot meal and a place to sleep in comfort. Let us consider what we can offer that is better than spare change: opportunities for real change.”

For the CCD, the revived “Real Change” campaign is part of a larger effort to address homelessness in Center City, including the deployment of a CCD Homeless Action Team, specially-trained personnel who provide direct outreach and assistance to help get the homeless off the street and connected with appropriate services, as well as the CCD’s decade long commitment to hire formerly homeless individuals and other disadvantaged workers.

The Center City District, a private-sector organization dedicated to making Center City Philadelphia clean, safe and attractive, is committed to maintaining Center City’s competitive edge as a regional employment center, a quality place to live, and a premier regional destination for dining, shopping and cultural attractions.

###