Sidestreet

In an age of digital transformation, the benefits of cashless purchases are evident. By switching to cashless operations, retailers have the ability to prevent theft, provide customer convenience, and mitigate risk of default. Thus, retailers are shifting away from accepting cash and forcing consumers to use cashless payment methods. These cashless operations disincentivize people to donate to homeless individuals asking for donations, however, as potential donors do not have cash to donate on hand. This issue raises the question, how will the homeless continue to survive in an America that is increasingly becoming cashless?

The problem formulated above is two-fold: retailers are attempting to go cashless and, as a result, many consumers do not carry cash regularly. The combination of these phenomena creates a situation wherein 1) homeless people struggle to secure donations and 2) may not be able to use the donations they receive at certain retail locations.

Sidestreet is a donation system that would allow people to gift and receive donations of cash, products, and services while avoiding many of the concerns potential donors currently face (namely safety issues, inconvenience of not carrying cash, and worry of repeated requests). This platform has both a digital and a physical component. The digital component would be an app (used by donors) that connects to the physical component, a debit card for the beneficiary. The aim of this platform would be to create a system wherein potential donors would feel better about donating directly to individuals, while the beneficiaries--who otherwise might not be able to obtain a traditional debit card-- would be able to receive the donation immediately and use it in a cashless society. Homeless individuals could register and pick up their Sidestreet card at easily accessible public locations like post offices and libraries. Sidestreet also partners with local establishments to offer donations in the form of services.