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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Chicago has found a better way to deal with homeless panhandlers, and their model comes straight from Albuquerque.

On Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel unveiled a new program, “A Day for Change,” which he said is modeled after Albuquerque’s “There’s a Better Way” program.

Chicago becomes the latest of a handful of large cities – including Anchorage, Seattle, Honolulu, Dallas and Atlanta – which have or are in the process of initiating their own program based on There’s a Better Way, said Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry. “It’s all about connecting people to services through the dignity of work.”

In a prepared statement, Emanuel said: “Our ‘A Day for Change’ program – modeled after that same program which has helped hundreds of residents in Albuquerque – will help Chicagoans struggling with homelessness to earn not only a day of pay, but a sense of purpose that will help them secure housing and steady employment so that they can get their lives back.”

Started in August 2015, There’s a Better Way is a city-funded initiative that is administered by St. Martin’s Hospitality Center. Early each morning, a program coordinator drives a refurbished van around Albuquerque to known areas where panhandlers congregate or stand on corners with signs asking for money. If the panhandlers are willing, the van takes them to one or more work sites where they spend about five hours, at $9 an hour, pulling weeds and clearing trash from public areas, and are provided free lunch.

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At the end of the day, when they return to St. Martin’s to get paid, they are surrounded by counselors, case managers, program managers and others who can help them plug into social services for addictions, mental health problems and other issues that may have contributed to their homelessness. They can work multiple days in the program and earn up to $600 before tax documents have to be filed.

The three-month Chicago pilot program operates similarly with an area service provider operating vans, giving panhandler participants an opportunity to earn up to $55 a day for cleanup and maintenance projects. Each participant can earn up to $600 annually, and will be eligible to receive meals, transportation, behavioral health services, job preparedness training, healthcare screenings and interim housing. The program is expected to initially serve about 100 workers.