Thrive has partnered with the city of St. John’s to conduct community-based research regarding panhandling in the urban center.

There are many ways to participate in Thrive’s panhandling study. The general public is invited to complete a 20-minute anonymous online survey about their experiences with panhandling. Service providers, who support panhandlers, are invited to participate in a 90-minute focus group or complete a 20-minute online survey about panhandling. Links to the surveys are below. Finally, folks who panhandle, busk, squeegee, or do street art, are invited to come to Thrive between 10 am and 4 pm Monday to Thursday to be interviewed. We are compensating folks for their interview time.

Thrive is currently looking to engage folks in this research, in hopes of producing a public education strategy, and a report of the research findings, including a set of evidence-based, compassionate recommendations about addressing panhandling. The more the community is engaged in this study, the more accurate the results will be in identifying how we, as a community, can reduce the cycle of poverty, and therefore, reduce the need to panhandle.

Community Engagement: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XXBLKVH

Social Services Engagement: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LPQPTVK