SARATOGA SPRINGS- Businesses in downtown Saratoga Springs are being asked to fill out a survey on the impacts homeless people and panhandlers have had on their business.
The survey which is being conducted by the Downtown Business Association allows respondents to remain anonymous but states that “While you can choose to remain anonymous, please understand to best represent the DBA’s findings, your name, place of business and email will be extremely helpful at the end of the survey.”
The survey asks nine questions, some that include a follow up question with them such as Does homelessness affect your employees? Negatively or positively? Please provide more detail below in 3a.
The survey also allows owners to provide video or photos.
“The survey’s goal is to gather information from the business community and then present this information to [the] City Council, so we can collaboratively address issues,” said Heidi West, the vice president of the DBA in an email.
She said members’ concerns regarding the homeless population have increased.
“The voice of our business community is an important one and this survey is one tool to ensure that voice is heard,” she said. “The DBA Homeless Task Force was formed in 2021 to address the ongoing concerns of our community, businesses, and visitors. We work in collaboration with organizations like RISE, Shelters of Saratoga, Franklin Community Center, Wellspring and other organizations that are a part of the continuum of care in Saratoga County, as a partner working compassionately to solve issues that might arise around our unhoused population.”
In October the city council heard from many residents who opposed a panhandling ordinance that would have prohibited solicitation in various spaces in the city including within 20 feet of an ATM; in a parking garage, lot or station or the sidewalk adjacent to those areas or within any area of a public skyway, alley or tunnel. The council has held no vote on the ordinance.
Public Safety Commissioner James Montagnino said he has no plans at the moment of bringing it back up.
Putnam Market owner Catharine Hamilton said she saw the survey but didn’t take it. She said they live with the homeless daily, who are outside their store right out front or behind it in the parking garage.
“A few years ago they were pretty unruly,” she said. “Now, even though it’s frightening for people who are using the parking garage and aren’t accustomed to it, they tend to stay around the parking garage.”
She said personally when she’s going to or leaving her vehicle she says hello to them.
“They know not to ask me for money because I’ll never give it to them and I treat them like human beings and they’re very kind to me,” she said.
She said generally they’ve had no issues either.
“There’s a few that would come in here and always steal when they come in here so we would say ‘well you can’t come back in here anymore,’” she said.
She said while she hasn’t had any issues they do raise concerns for people who aren’t accustomed to them or from the area.
“They come into town–it’s fearful for some people to be parking in the parking garage because they have to walk past a bunch of people sometimes drunken or high people asking for money,” she said. “In that regard it does impact me because we count on traffic past our door and our homeless population is right outside our back door.”
Saratoga Tea & Honey Co. owner Hayley Stevens said she hadn’t seen the survey yet, but would be “happy to take it.”
She said Friday she was too busy to comment further on the topic.
Shelters of Saratoga Executive Director Duane Vaughn said he hopes the survey is used to determine ways to help the homeless.
“I have had conversations with the DBA and they have been very helpful to us,” he said. “SOS should be an asset to the community, an asset to the businesses, so if they need our help we are here.”
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