Helping the homeless in an unconventional way
Forget handouts - Downtown Streets Team builds community to help the homeless become self-sufficient
This is the the fourth and last installment of Communities That Work
I knew I’d found something intriguing when I asked a stranger to tell me about their life and they couldn’t stop talking about the magic of Downtown Streets Team.
I’d seen people in the square wearing these bright yellow shirts and picking up trash in the mornings, but I’d never thought to learn who they were. After spending 6 months getting to know the team, however, I can tell you that this group is doing something special.
An unconventional approach to helping the homeless
Most organizations that help the homeless do so by providing them with services, giving free meals, warm clothes, temporary shelters, even free showers and laundry. But there’s almost nothing out there that gives the homeless an opportunity to learn and practice the skills they need to get back on their feet.
That’s where Downtown Streets Team (DST) comes in. Each morning, DST members don their yellow shirts and meet behind the library. Team Leads get folks checked in and direct people to their respective teams. Once the rolling garbage bins and trash pickers are assembled, people set off across the city to work on their cleanup project of the day.
On the surface, you might think that DST is just an organization that pays homeless folk to pick up trash. But they are actually doing something much more important. DST helps the homeless learn the skills they need to hold down a job and function well in society—and they get results.
In this team environment where people are given a reason to show up and work, people get better. Team members learn how to be punctual, resolve team conflicts, and respect their peers. Their lives feel more stable. Because their peers value their work, they start feeling agency and ownership. Over time, they learn to trust others. They are able to open up about challenges they face and take steps towards a solution. Because of DST, members gain a community that keeps them accountable and wholeheartedly supports them in their journey to self sufficiency.
Community Fast Facts
Type: In-person, Local
Size: ~ 20-40 members per city chapter
Who’s in it: Those that are homeless or at risk
The shared goal: Get a job and housing so they can be self-sufficient
Why it works: Being on a team helps members learn skills needed to hold a job and gives them the support they need to continue moving forward.
The DST community’s secret sauce
So how did DST manage to build a program that the homeless, a population known for being transient, wants to stick with? I got the opportunity to chat in-depth with Matty Shirer, the project lead of the Redwood City chapter, to learn about his approach. Here’s a paraphrased version of our conversation below.
Why is building community important to DST?
The strong Streets Team community is what makes DST work. You have to understand that many of the homeless have lost trust in society because they've been cast aside and left behind. If you want to get them to learn how to be a part of society again, you have to rebuild their relationship with society and humans. DST is a safe and approachable space for them to do just that.
How did you build an environment that people wanted to join?
First and foremost, I had to build enough trust for people to want to give the program a chance. I knew that we couldn’t just go into homeless encampments and offer to help. They had no reason to trust me. Instead, we took time to understand the Redwood City scene and develop relationships with members of the RWC homeless community. One of those members was Robin, the unofficial Mayor of the Homeless. Gaining her trust was crucial because she had the homeless community’s trust.
That was only the first step. Once people trusted us enough to come check out DST, we had to continue to do whatever we could to strengthen that trust, because only after building trust would people feel safe enough to share what was wrong or what they needed from us.
So what did you do to strengthen that trust?
First, we were consistent. We wanted people to know that DST was reliable. My team and I would be there every day, working with the same individuals 5 days a week. We created a predictable team schedule, with weekly team meetings every Wednesday at noon that always had the same agenda structure. We never changed the criteria to join the team- you just needed to attend two team meetings in a row. And we followed through. If someone asked us for help, we always followed up with resources and support. After some time, people could see that we weren’t going anywhere. They could rely on us to be there.
Second, we took time to know each individual on a personal level. We wanted people to realized that DST is not a transactional relationship — we were there to help each person become a better version of themselves, even if the solution might look different for each individual. So, we made sure to get to know each person as we worked and chatted together week after week. We wanted members to know that they each deserved a customized success plan and that they were each worth our time.
Third, we gave members the opportunity to contribute opinions and take ownership. We encouraged team members to share thoughts about how the program was going, both during our weekly success meetings and in more informal settings. Those that showed concern for others’ needs were promoted to Team Lead and entrusted with more responsibilities. We wanted everyone to know that their opinions and contributions matter.
Lastly, we made it clear that we accept all of our members. Some of our members only spoke Spanish, so we introduced Spanish interpretation during our meetings. Sometimes, members would clash and argue, but instead of sweeping it under the rug, we created space for them to resolve things out in the open, which builds strength in the community. We want people to feel comfortable bringing their whole selves here.
Challenges facing the community
Adopting a community model does not come without challenges. Matty outlined to me the current hurdles that DST faces.
1) People aren’t always able to commit to the team. When things get difficult, team members can find it hard to show up. This has been especially apparent during the pandemic - a time where everyone is feeling increased instability. There is not much they can do here except make it clear that you can always re-join once you are ready to commit to two weekly meetings in a row.
2) Coming up with custom success plans for each member is not scalable. While it works, it requires a lot of ingenuity, pivoting, and moving fast. Because it's so high touch, it will definitely get more difficult as they add more members to the team.
3) People struggle to thrive after they get placed in a job. When someone gets placed in a job, they graduate DST, which means they lose their connection to the DST community, the very support system that helped them get there in the first place. A job at McDonalds is not going to have that same supportive community, and that makes it much harder to stick with the job. People say that the one thing they don’t look forward to is having to leave the DST community behind. Because of this issue, DST is experimenting with an idea called Streets Team Enterprise, where they can employ people within the Downtown Streets community itself and continue to support their growth and development.
“They gave me a chance”
I will end by sharing story that stranger told me the first day I became aware of DST’s existence.
There was a point in my life where I was really depressed. I had an alcohol problem. I didn't know how to love myself. But then I found the Downtown Streets team and they gave me the chance to work. Every day, I'd be out there with the team, picking up trash in the city. Doing work every day really helped me. It made me happy to do something that helps people and keeps the city clean. It helped me be a better person. All because the team believed in me and gave me a chance. It truly is a privilege to work.
Although DST has its challenges, I’m optimistic that it will endure. I’ve heard over and over again about the tremendous impact DST has had on people’s lives. So here’s to hoping that the organization can continue to provide the community and support for more people looking to get back on their feet.