The City of San Antonio is using retired parking meters to help the homeless.
The coins collected will support homeless programs at San Antonio's Haven for Hope, which houses about 2,500 people every night.
“This is an innovative way to reuse materials that still maintain functionality but have been replaced with technology,” said Paula Stallcup, director of the Downtown Operations Department. “We hope the new donation stations will be a convenient way to help support homeless programs in San Antonio.”
The city replaced the old parking meters with 134 new solar-powered parking pay stations last May. They converted 25 of the old meters into parking meter donation stations.
City leaders unveiled one of the parking meter donation stations Friday morning across the street from the Alamo.
The initiative was a group effort of the Downtown Operations Department, the San Antonio Convention and Visitor's Bureau, the Convention and Visitors Commission, San Antonio Tourism Council, Downtown Alliance/Centro San Antonio and Haven for Hope.
All 25 converted meters are located in the downtown area.
