MISSION
Downtown Streets Team brings businesses, communities, and homeless people together to create and maintain a clean, safe downtown district. Homeless people who work in the program earn the resources they need to get off the streets.
Beginnings of the Streets Team
Palo Alto City Council created the Business Improvement District (BID) in the Spring of 2004 in order to to confront issues in the City’s downtown area. In late 2004, the BID conducted a survey that revealed homelessness and cleanliness as the two of the biggest issues facing local business owners.Downtown Streets Team was launched in Palo Alto when city officials, community leaders, and local businesses joined together to address these issues. The group aimed to reduce panhandling, clean and beautify the downtown area, and give homeless people the opportunity to work. The inspiration for the panhandler-to-taxpayer program came from a Palo Alto business owner who had seen a similar program succeed in his hometown in Venezuela.
Since 2005 Downtown Streets Team members have cleaned up the streets of Palo Alto in exchange for food, shelter, and other services that help them get off the streets and secure permanent employment.
MODEL
LEADER
Executive Director Eileen Richardson
After nearly 20 nearly years in Venture Capital, Eileen Richardson decided to take some time off from work. While she was CEO of the chamber of commerce, she became involved with homeless issues in the community. She volunteered with the local food closet and became executive director of the Streets Team 6 months after it was started. She has leveraged her relationship with civic leaders, local businesses and the homeless population to make the Downtown Streets Team a community effort that successfully helps the homeless get off the streets and into permanent housing.
Board Members
Esther Shih, Owner of Far East Living
Chana Pederson
Phil Lonardo, Manager of Whole Foods
Sally Cadigan
Matthew Bahls
Dennis Burns, Chief of Police
Partners
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
Charities Housing
The City of Palo Alto
InnVision
Momentum for Mental Health
Palo Alto Downtown Bus. & Prof. Assoc. (PAd)
Palo Alto Hotel
Palo Alto Housing Corporation
Palo Alto Police Department
Sponsors
Borel Private Bank & Trust Company
Coupa Cafe
The Garden Court Hotel
Jungle Digital
ChauLong Nguyen, DDS (www.cosmeticdentistmenlopark.com)
Palo Alto Downtown Business and Professional Association (PAd)
Palo Alto Rowing Club
Roxy Rapp & Company
University Art
Wells Fargo Bank
Whole Foods
The Cardinal Hotel
D.B. Gaskill, Advertising Specialties
Form Fitness
Palo Alto Community Foundation
Palo Alto Weekly's Holiday Fund
Palo Alto's City Council
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Thoits Brothers, Warren Thoits
Tides Foundation
SolutionSet
Walgreens
The Peery Foundation
The Arrillaga Foundation
Donors
Frank Benest
The Chiu Family
The Dalal Family
The Fruchtermans
Barbara Gross
Gleim the Jeweler
Georgie Gleim
The Goodspeeds
The Hilber Family
The Jones Family
The Kirkwood Family
Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto
The McNellis Family
The Mitchell Family
The Nute Family
Palo Alto City Council
The Pierce Family
The Razzano Family
John & Shirley Reiter Steve & Karen Ross
The Sharp Family
The Stebinger Family
Robert & Carolyn Taber
Allie Weissman
The Wilensky Family
The Witzleben Family
Stacey Yates, SkinSpirit
