Name: As panhandling grows, Connecticut towns look for answers
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As panhandling grows, Connecticut towns look for answers

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AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantOct 15, 2020 at 6:00 amWith the spread of panhandling during the pandemic, a few Connecticut communities are asking citizens to give money to charities instead of directly into the hands of the homeless.West Hartford officials recently made a pitch for people to stop handing cash to the people carrying cardboard “need help” signs, and Bristol just published a flier calling for compassion — but not direct donations — toward the homeless.Advertisement“The first rule is to NOT give money,” reads the flier, which came out after an increase in the numbers of panhandlers downtown and along the Route 6 commercial corridor.Cities from Ventura, Calif., and Spokane, Wash., to Houston and Milwaukee have issued similar pleas in the past two years, cautioning people that giving cash directly encourages panhandlers and possibly even makes their situations worse.AdvertisementBut some advocates for the poor and homeless contend that this approach is simply wrong.“Yes, we should support local homeless services. But right now 30 million people are at risk of being evicted — we’re going to see more and more homelessness, and the truth is that agencies can’t provide all the needs that are out there,” said Brad Horvath, founder of InvisiblePeople.tv, a 12-year-old nonprofit that documents stories of homeless people nationwide.“If somebody asks you for money and you feel like giving, give them money,” Horvath said. “I’ve been to 300 cities. I’ve probably talked with more homeless people than anyone. And the vast majority of people who are begging for change have basic needs that are not being met.”Newington, New Britain, Glastonbury, Enfield and Meriden are just a few of the Connecticut communities that have been looking for new ways since 2018 to deal with panhandling.Several have debated passing new ordinances, but acknowledge that the First Amendment protects the basic act of asking strangers for money.Complaints from nearby merchants, shoppers or pedestrians aren’t grounds for banning solicitors from public property, so towns usually direct police to pursue only aggressive panhandling — cases where the person goes beyond just asking for money. That could including creating a disturbance, stalking someone on the street, disrupting traffic, harassing people or other crimes.“People are complaining all the time, asking why the police don’t do anything,” Bristol Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu said. “The police can’t do anything if you’re on the sidewalk. It’s a First Amendment right the same as a group of teenagers advertising for a car wash, or groups of people holding Black Lives Matter or Trump signs.”Bristol’s new flier advises people approached for money to be compassionate.Advertisement“Many times the most important thing you can give someone panhandling on the streets is a kind disposition and a smile. Look them in the eyes and acknowledge them as a human being,” it says.But instead of giving cash to them, pedestrians and drivers should donate to anti-poverty programs run by the local United Way, the St. Vincent DePaul shelter, The Agape House, Brian’s Angels, Meals for Neighbors, the Salvation Army or other local food banks and soup kitchens, it advises.In West Hartford, where panhandlers have begun regularly appearing in the town center and near the Westfarms mall, the social services department offers similar guidance in a flier.“Giving a panhandler cash, in most circumstances, will not benefit that person long term,” the flier says. “The vast majority of those you see panhandling on a regular basis are people with substance abuse issues ... the vast majority of money you give to a frequent panhandler is going to be used to buy drugs and alcohol.”West Hartford recommends giving money instead to any one of more than a dozen charities and civic groups trying to aid the chronically poor and the homeless: .Bristol police and city social workers routinely encourage panhandlers to make use of shelters, food banks, health clinics and other resources ranging from assisted job searches to drug or alcohol treatment, Zoppo-Sassu said. Still, Connecticut likely won’t have enough beds to shelter all of those in need this winter. In January, only one housing placement was available for every seven people on the wait list, Hartford homeless outreach officer Jim Barrett said. The pandemic’s impact on the economy will likely deepen the need.AdvertisementIt’s essential to encourage compassion, she said, but handing out change or a dollar here and there doesn’t address underlying problems.DailyWe're providing the latest coronavirus coverage in Connecticut each weekday morning. &gt; “We want to give people options — ways to direct their resources to have a more meaningful impact in the community,” she said.The National Homelessness Law Center focuses much of its work on fighting anti-panhandling ordinances, and doesn’t officially recommend for or against giving money directly to people who ask for it.“The decision to donate money rests solely on you,” its website advises. “There is nothing wrong with giving money to those who ask for help. If you choose not to give, make eye contact and decline politely.”Horvath said he occasionally gives cash, but suggests that bringing food or even clothes to someone asking for help may be most effective.“I’m probably the hardest person to panhandle from. I carry socks with me all the time — so I’ll give socks,” he said. “If someone touches my heart, I’ve been known to give every dollar in my wallet.Advertisement“Panhandling is a horrible way to make money. You’re having hot coffee thrown at you. You’re being sworn at. But as long as people are going hungry and don’t have basic needs met, they’re going to do this.“Disney just laid off 28,000 people. Whole industries are going under. This is going to get worse. It’s a horrible way to survive, but we’re humans — we have to survive.” Advertisement

AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantOct 15, 2020 at 6:00 amWith the spread of panhandling during the pandemic, a few Connecticut communities are asking citizens to give money to charities instead of directly into the hands of the homeless.West Hartford officials recently made a pitch for people to stop handing cash to the people carrying cardboard “need help” signs, and Bristol just published a flier calling for compassion — but not direct donations — toward the homeless.Advertisement“The first rule is to NOT give money,” reads the flier, which came out after an increase in the numbers of...

As panhandling grows, Connecticut towns look for answers

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