Stopping panhandling is helping panhandlers
We have all experienced the inner struggle of meeting someone who is begging. We’re torn as to what to do, whether to give or not. And if we’re honest, we can be frustrated with the situation too. Sometimes, depending on the beggar, we can fear for our own safety.
Panhandling is a serious social problem that deserves a better answer than simply ignoring it. In February, Dallas councilors informed city officials of the grievances they had filed from voters who are fed up, afraid, or both, of what has become of the streets they cross each day.
Now the city has devised a compassionate and intelligent pilot program that recognizes many of the complexities of panhandling and aims to provide lasting relief to the people rather than handing out temporary handouts.
The plan includes collecting data on where panhandling is taking place and who is doing it. It brings city posts together with crisis intervention officers to assess the needs of people in need.
The program is not punitive. Rather, it should be restorative. People who work with panhandling often need services – help with finding accommodation, with eating, with mental health or physical complaints – to which they have no access. For this reason, the city puts together a marshal with a clerk. For people who are cooperative, the clerk takes care of the procurement of services. For those who refuse to cooperate, the marshal will issue a quote.
We have heard criticism that there is no point giving cards to beggars. But these tickets are not about collecting cash. It’s about creating a way to bring someone before a judge who can order them to undergo services that can help rebuild a life.
The city wants to ban panhandling in transport trains, a reform that we called for in August 2020. This is wise because it eliminates an obvious safety risk for drivers and panhandlers. It also eliminates an important market that beggars rely on. We support these efforts, although we fear government laws that allow charity recruiting may disrupt their enforcement.
Homelessness experts will tell you that giving to a beggar is a personal choice. The decision does not need to carry moral baggage. But they will also tell you that what you give is not going to change that person’s life. It might even prevent that person from seeking help.
True compassion means having the moral courage as a society to decide that making people live from hand to mouth is unacceptable and we must intervene. And that intervention requires a clear plan that integrates law enforcement and social work.
No plan will be perfect. But this six-month pilot program is a good start to a long-term panhandling response.
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https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2021/11/03/stopping-panhandling-is-helping-panhandlers/