The 25,000-plus Portland State University students making their way back to campus will get some incentive to spend money in their downtown environs.
The university, and several partners, Thursday announced the "Here for Portland, Downtown" initiative, which aims to steer students toward area businesses "whose livelihoods and workforces have been hit hard by the pandemic, including local businesses owned by low-income entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color."
The initiative includes participation from the city of Portland, Worksystems, Prosper Portland, Bricks Need Mortar, Business for a Better Portland and Kuto App.
Among the program's components, Worksystems is using a U.S. Labor Department grant to provide $30,000 in Kuto app gift credits to 600 PSU students. Portland-based software developers Kiyo Kubo and Nick Farina crafted the app, which portends to save users money on banks' credit card fees while encouraging local spending.
"We're so heartened to have our students and employees back downtown at Portland State," said Stephen Percy, Portland State University's president, in a release. "Our vibrant urban campus is key to the PSU identity and we are a committed partner in revitalizing this community and this region to thrive in the years to come."
In a program that emerged from the city's Portland Action Tables, Worksystems will share $240,000 for subsidized jobs provided through Portland's American Recovery Program Act program. The effort looks to help as many as 30 low-income PSU students find work, paying them through the program.
