A report going to a city committee is recommending against QR codes signs being placed around Windsor as a way to increase donations to the homeless.
At the Feb. 13, 2023 meeting of city council, Ward 3's Renaldo Agostino asked for a report on the potential of installing QR code signs on city property to encourage digital donations and reduce issues around panhandling.
Agostino referenced similar programs in several other jurisdictions including Greenville, South Carolina, where signs with QR codes have been put up and linked to allow donations to various services and organizations supporting homeless and addiction issues.
The report going to the Community Services Standing Committee details that administration met with staff from the City of Greenville, South Carolina and the City of Daytona Beach, Florida to learn more about the work they are doing around QR code signs.
The report found that neither system produced significant results on the issue of panhandling or raising funds.
Ward 3 councillor Renaldo Agostino believes even though the report doesn't show this idea moving the needle in other communities, this is still starting a conversation.
"A lot of good things are coming out of it as well in regards to desensitizing the issue and creating awareness. I think that's something that could really, really benefit our community more than the QR codes," he says. "So I'm certianly interested in reading more and learning more, and taking every step forward we can to help with the situation in downtown Windsor."
Agostino says he's not disappointed over the findings of the report.
"It's not a question of wins or loses for me, it's a question of stepping forward, taking as many steps forward as we can. I'm not afraid to fail, I want to fail as quickly as possible so I can dust it off and keep moving forward. That's what my job is, that's how I look at this, I don't expect a W or a L, that means nothing to me," he says.
A QR code is a type of barcode that can be scanned by your phone and can contain information about the item to which it is attached.
The city's community services standing committee will meet at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 6 at Windsor City Hall.