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Team Member Quotes
Downtown Streets Team turned my life around! I no longer have to panhandle, thanks to DST. I have gained confidence by working on the Streets Team. DST is the best thing that ever happened to the City of Palo Alto. - Eric E.
DST provides support for me between jobs for rent and food. - Lillian
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The Beginning
Merchants were concerned about the trash in the streets and
the
problems that panhandling created for their businesses, as well as the
welfare
of the unhoused in Palo Alto. DST was started in May 2005 by The
Palo Alto Downtown Business & Professional Association (PAd) to
give homeless and newly housed men and women the chance to achieve
lives of independence while helping to make downtown Palo Alto clean
and safe.
How It Works
DST has several contracts with the City of Palo Alto for
cleanliness and maintenance of the downtown area and soccer
fields. Team members are assigned to one of three shifts: 8am -
noon or noon - 4pm Wed. - Sun. or 8am - noon Mon. -
Fri. They clean the
treewells, empty trash cans and clean the Mayfield Soccer Fields on the
weekends. This is a win-win partnership where the program
receives
City backing and the City uses the Team to supplement their staff
(especially on weekends). Team members receive vouchers for
food or shelter in return for their work. Currently, the downtown area
of operations extends from High Street to Cowper Street between
Hamilton and Lytton Avenues. You can spot the DST participants by their
distinctive yellow T-shirts and blue jackets. The team has grown
from four team members in 2005 to 18 members in 2007.
Getting on the Team
There are two parts to getting on the team: eligibility and commitment.
To be eligible for the team, individuals in Palo Alto who are currently
unhoused or residing in a permanent subsidized housing or a homeless
shelter fill out a comprehensive interview questionnaire. They
are then interviewed by Terence Cox, the DST Supervisor, and Eileen
Richardson, the President. Participants are selected based on their
commitment to DST and its goals, as well as their attitude and desire
to transition to on-going, stable employment.The second part of getting on the team is showing commitment to DST by attending the weekly DST Success Team Meetings. Each meeting starts everyone introducing themselves and their status with DST: team members or potential team members. Potential team members are placed on a waiting list, which ranges from six to twelve people. When the next slot opens up, the person at the top of the waiting list is given a chance to become a team member.
Part of showing commitment is consistency. All those on the waiting list must be on-time and attend the entire meeting, every week, in order to maintain their place on the waiting list. Missing a meeting means starting over at the bottom of the list. These meetings give potential team members a good understanding of DST and its goals and requirements, builds enthusiasm, and helps individuals deal with the difficulty of waiting for an opening on the team.
Team meetings are every Thursday from 12:30 - 1:30 at the Opportunity Center, 33 Encina Ave, Palo Alto, just off of El Camino between Town & Country Shopping Center and PAMF.
Team Benefits: Work, Training, Essentials, Permanent Jobs
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DST participants work to attain increasing levels of responsibility. After successfully completing a one-month probation period, during which participants must come to work on time and focus on cleaning the streets, DST participants can work to achieve shift and team leader positions. Each successive level of responsibility allows participants a wider range of work activities. DST participants also attend weekly, one-hour workshops called Success Team Meetings that teach practical life and work skills, such as handling stress, writing resumes, problem-solving, and resolving conflicts. | |
 Once a participant successfully completes 6 months of the DST program, he/she are eligible to be promoted to the Elite Task Force. Local businesses are encouraged to hire team members with DST certification or refer them to jobs in other businesses. 49 team graduates have found jobs and 36 have found housing. |
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Community Benefits:
Cleaner Downtown, Safer Streets
Already, the downtown area is noticeably cleaner. The team
meetings are filled with kudos from delighted citizens and merchants.Dirty, trash-strewn sidewalks and alleys have
been
replaced by
clean, attractive areas that are inviting to downtown visitors. Both
business owners and passersby comment frequently on the transformation
of the downtown area, and many people thank the participants for their
hard work. The participants themselves are benefiting from the
satisfaction of successfully taking on responsibilities and re-learning
the skills they need to re-enter the workforce. Shift leaders and Terence Cox have cell phones which they can use to contact the Palo Alto Police Department if they witness situations affecting public safety. The PAPD supports DST and has given DST participants a private telephone number to be used in situations where police facilitation is appropriate. This cooperation between DST and the PAPD increases the safety of downtown Palo Alto for visitors, residents and businesspeople alike.