Technology built the cashless society. Advances are helping the unhoused so they’re not left behind

A vendor selling Street Sense, a local paper that covers issues related to the homeless and employs unhoused individuals as its vendors, holds up her sign saying she can accept donations from cashless apps like Venmo and CashApp, in Washington. The transition to a cashless society has impacted street-level charitable giving – from individual donations to panhandlers to the Salvation Army donation kettles. — AP

WASHINGTON: John Littlejohn remembers the days when lots of people had a couple of dollars to spare to buy a copy of Street Sense, the local paper that covers issues related to the homeless and employs unhoused individuals as its vendors.

Today, he’s finding fewer people are walking around with spare change. Even well-meaning individuals who want to help are likely to pat their pockets and apologise, he said.