Coupon-Schmoupon

If you haven't heard already, the outcome looks bleak for a congressional change in the way digital converter boxes are being distributed to extremely low-income individuals in SRO's. Basically, the people in the SRO's around Skid Row--including Las Americas and The Olympia--do not qualify for the government-issued DTV Converter Box Coupons because the buildings themselves are considered businesses (rather than households) by the Census Bureau.



One of the ways, I've been able to get around this road block is through donations. I recently emailed all of my friends and asked them to sign up for the converter box coupon(s) on the government's DTV website. As is the case with my fancy friends, many of the people who qualify for these coupons do not actually need them, so, if you can get them to sign up, the coupons are all yours! A lot of people out there own digital T.V.'s, or subscribe to digital cable, or have bundles of money and foolish pride, so--if you are reading this as a social worker--go ahead and ask! (If you are reading this as a visitor/potential donor, here's your chance to get involved!). Also, everyone is eligible for two coupons, even if they only own one T.V., so snag that second one.

I've received a couple of coupons from friends already and I will disclose one hint: before you drive across town to pick up a converter coupon, make sure you have your donor look at the expiration date on the front. I recently picked up a coupon from a friend and, in all of my excitement, I didn't take the time to notice that it had expired a month earlier! Wasting time is out, so verify that mess!

One other option is to put postings up in the "Wanted" sections of sites like Craigslist or FreeCycle. Most cities in the U.S. have Freecycle groups (just "Google" it). I recently put a posting up on Freecycle for the coupons and, while the group's moderator told me that I posts asking for coupons are not allowed, someone responded anyway and simply donated an actual convertor box. This brings me to my next point: ask for what you ultimately want. My prediction is that these convertor boxes--as with most technology--will become more and more obsolete over time. As we get closer to June 12, a whole gang of people who have the boxes will just give in and buy a new digital T.V. So remember to ask people for the boxes themselves, too!

Happy hunting.