Donating to Panhandlers Not the Answer

Wednesday, July 04, 2012

Ashley Klann, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Giving money to panhandlers isn't the answer, local officials say, but finding the solution to the city's problem has never been an easy task. Worcester has dealt with the rampant issue before, and while some debate the success of previous efforts, the current situation has Mayor Joe Petty and city council on edge.

At the basis of the issue is the question of how to help those who are on the streets. At their last meeting, council discussed the need to educate the public on how to best react to panhandlers in Worcester.

“As a provider, I don’t think this is a good service. People who want to improve their lives won’t be out panhandling for the most part,” said Bill Miller, Executive Director at Friends of the Homeless in Springfield, a city that has seen many of the same issues facing Worcester.

The Root of the Problem

Panhandling is an issue that is difficult to diagnose due to the conflicting reports from those on the street and those who work to serve them.

While the issue is tied to homelessness and those services dedicated to helping that population restart their lives, panhandling is a more complicated issue. Those on the streets, carrying the signs are not always forthright, and giving spare change is not always going to help them.

The Center for Problem-Oriented Policing releases studies on various issues to help areas better form policy against issues like panhandling. According to their research, some panhandlers suffer from mental illness, but most do not. Many panhandlers have criminal records, but panhandlers are nearly as likely to have been crime victims as offenders.

“Contrary to common belief, panhandlers and homeless people are not necessarily one and the same. Many studies have found that only a small percentage of homeless people panhandle, and only a small percentage of panhandlers are homeless,” reads their guide on panhandling.

A question surrounding the current decision in Worcester is organization. Councilors voiced their concern that those panhandling on the streets here are part of a larger, possibly more well off community of panhandlers than it would appear.

“It does look like that sometimes,but there is no proof. Panhandlers are poor, there’s no question about that,” Miller said. “Some do make up signs, and often there is substance abuse, and some say you’re supporting their addiction. My impression is that with youth, that’s not the case. If there are networks, they are poor networks.”

A Day in the Life

GoLocal spoke with two of the many panhandlers in the city of Worcester to get the other side of the story. William, who did not want to give out his last name, stands at the intersection of Park Ave. and Mill Street, across from Dunkin Donuts. While council is mostly concerned about the aggressive behavior of panhandlers in the city, William puts himself another category, not among those councilors railed against this week.

“I know one thing,” the 40-year-old William said as he stood on an island at the intersection. “I don’t bother people. I don’t walk up to cars.”

In fact, according to William, the opposite is true. City officials claim panhandling creates a dangerous environment, but he said that he is often on the receiving end of cruel treatment.

“People don’t realize, I have a lot of people yelling at me, swearing at me, throwing things at me. I’ve been spit on,” he said. William said he is homeless, although statistics show most homeless are not panhandlers. He said he suffers from mental health and other medical issues and that he used to do drugs. On an average day, he collects about $40.

He said he didn't know what he would do if the city cracks down on panhandling.

"I’m trying to do the best I can," he said. "Life is always going to throw you a curve ball.”

Another man with an amputated leg who later took Willaim’s place, Chris, said he was 52 and had lost his leg to infection. Chris said he, too, is homeless.

“I really don’t get a lot of negative response from people. I’m really polite. I’m not out there aggressively asking people or anything like that. I know there are some guys out there that step over that line. There are jerks in all walks of life.”

Chris said he does not see the need for city officials to devote time to ridding the streets of panhandlers, calling it, “a tempest in the teapot.” From his vantage point, those who disapprove of what he and other panhandlers do are few in number.

“I think it’s a vocal minority that doesn’t like this and they’re complaining,” he said. “Most people could take you or leave you.”

The Other Side

To Sandra Gonzalez of Worcester, panhandlers are a bother. Gonzalez said she planned on attending a July 17 council meeting, at which City Manager Michael O’Brien is expected to present a plan to combat panhandling.

“A lot of these people have money,” Gonzalez said of the city's panhandlers. “They just buy drugs with their money. It’s ridiculous. They’re not homeless. They have places to stay.”
She singled out William and said she has seen him dropped off at his spot in a “nice Hummer, a lot.” While Sandra was talking, Chris was observed walking around a car that had approached him, getting into the passenger’s side and driving off.

Past resolutions

Regardless of the reasons behind panhandlers in the city, Worcester has combatted the issue in the past through various means, including anti-panhandling billboards and a cap trade effort, which Councilor Rick Rushton is still in favor of.

“Three or four years ago, there was a cap trade effort. We marshaled resources to reach out and help people who were panhandling,” Rushton said. He praised the manager’s efforts. “There were wrap around services to get housing, food, and mental health services as well as gift certificates to food and grocery stores and one on one work with social service agencies.”

The city’s billboard project, which was met with resistance and called a way of advocating for “anti-poor laws,” was not as successful. In response to this attempt, Rushton said that with social media, there are quicker, more direct ways of communication that they will be exploring this time around.

Where the City Stands Now

According to Christina Andreoli, the Communications Director in the City Manager’s office, there are no ordinances currently in place against panhandling in the city. As the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing points out in their information, panhandling is often low on the radar of local police forces.

“The best way to discourage a behavior is not to reward it. Generous communities find themselves in a bind because they end up with more panhandlers,” Miller said. “If you have a good provider network, folks like us and people who do mental health work, you can take it case by case. That would be the most humane way to go.”

Whether Worcester will choose to take this issue seriously and direct efforts to things that will help those on the streets, or choose to take another stab at a billboard program has yet to be seen.

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