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The Tribune ran this lede in today’s editorial today, entitled “Feed the meter.”
Anyone who regularly traverses Michigan Avenue or the Loop is obliged to develop a strategy about panhandlers. Do you give a little to all? Nothing to any? Or do you only give if the mood strikes, or if the person in question is peddling something of value, like StreetWise, the newspaper?
The point was about a new program in Baltimore.
Baltimore leaders are experimenting with a promising idea. They’re inviting people to feed the meter. Instead of dropping a quarter into a panhandler’s cup, Baltimoreans now have the opportunity to slide it into specially painted and refurbished meters, formerly used for parking, on a couple of streets, the Baltimore Sun recently reported. When they do, a pointer on the dial moves from “despair” to “hope.” The money collected goes to programs to help the homeless.
Taking into account that the holiday season is now in full force, how do you deal with panhandlers? Also, is the Baltimore idea worth a shot?
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 9:19 am
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I haven’t done this since I moved to Springfield, perhaps because there are fewer panhandlers, but when I was in Chicago I chose one who stood near my apartment building every day and gave only to him. He was a sickly looking guy in a wheelchair, but he seemed nice enough.
Then, one day, he wasn’t there any more. I asked around, but nobody knew where he went. A year or so later, I saw him again. I was happy to see my “old friend,” but very sorry to learn that he was back on the streets.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 9:25 am
I usually ignore them. Sometimes I will give them something but in Chicago there are just too many of them which is sad. I also tend to pony up more often to the Steetwise guys. For some reason I also tend to give a little more when I am down in Springfield.
Comment by anon Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 9:30 am
I think the meter idea is a great idea, great way for people to get rid of loose change and help out. It would be intresting to see how much they raise for the homeless.
Although, a better idea is just giving to your local bread lines, homeless shelters, and other sugh agensies that do alot of ground zero work. I know Helping Hands here in springfield needs some help!
Comment by moderate Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 9:33 am
Who is going to empty the meters? And at what cost? Is it a union job and part of the city?? Sounds labor intensive and subject to usual thievery/slippage. Write a check to the local food depository or whatever … and if you have a favorite street person, give him/her a 20 for the holidays. And always give a buck to each Streetwise vendor you see outside the grocery store. Direct contributions all, no labor, no slippage.
Comment by jaundiced eye Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 9:45 am
I am willing to buy food, but I don’t give cash.
Comment by Squideshi Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 9:49 am
I rarely give to individuals, but I give regularly — and not insubstantially — to the Greater Chicago Food Depository/Second Harvest: http://tinyurl.com/y2fre9
Comment by So-Called "Austin Mayor" Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 9:49 am
Almost 40% of our income is going to the government and they haven’t solved the homeless situation yet? Hmmmm. Better make it 45% instead, that’ll fix it.
Comment by Jeff Trigg Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 10:21 am
I agree with Jeff Trigg 100%. Just another feel good program to throw money at.
Comment by BBpolNut Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 10:35 am
There are really two different issues intertwined, panhandling and homelessness. Many people assume the panhandlers are homeless which is frequently not true.
I don’t want to say panhandlers don’t need the money, but the reality is most will be using the money to fuel a disfunctional life. Giving directly to them is more about feeling good about ourselves than helping them.
The real issue is addressing homelessness. This is a complex issue with no simple solution. I think some progress is currently being made with “the plan to end homelessness.” The biggest obstacle is the development of solutions has been delegated to the homeless advocates and their allies. The advocates (not the service providers)are too often unrealistic and driven by ideology. Unfortunately, they also distort and mislead the general public regarding the number of homeless and the causes of homelessness. If we want to really solve the problem, we need a full spectrum of elected officials and business leaders to address the issue.
In the meantime, my suggestion is find a service provider who does a good job and donate to them.
Comment by Objective Dem Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 10:36 am
I have my regulars: a little lady who sells StreetWise, another gentleman who sells little American flags and a pail drummer near the train station. Anybody who yells, gets in my face or is obviously intoxicated gets a pass.
But my best pandhandler story happened out of town in Ohio. A fellow came up to me telling me how he had ran out of gas, needed to get home and could I spare a few bucks. I laughed, said I’m from Chicago, and that I’ve heard that story or a different version so many different times that I know it by heart. I then explained to the guy what was wrong with his plea and how to make his story more believable so he could get more money. Then I gave him a couple bucks and he replied, “thanks man, that’s good, that’s real good.” Why give the man a fish when you can just teach him to fish better?
Comment by Anon Sequitor Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 10:39 am
Jeff’s brilliance here, “Almost 40% of our income is going to the government and they haven’t solved the homeless situation yet? Hmmmm. Better make it 45% instead, that’ll fix it.”
But I’ll bet some bureaucrat has a brand new desk, right?
Comment by Angie Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 10:44 am
I live in Chicago and not to far from Catholic Charities where they have beds and food for the homeless, I usually tell them to go there or offer to buy them some food. I do not want to give them money, and they usually tell me to forget it, they only want money. The funny thing is that they are usually the same people, so they stopped asking me for money.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 10:46 am
By the way, there’s a really good website that rates the charities (they get any number of stars, as you’ll see at the site) if you are interested in investigating which ones look good.
http://www.charitynavigator.org
There’s a way to sort by location and type of charity, and there are many categories. For example, on the educational front, both The University of Chicago and Northwestern University rate as four star charities (you can also see the breakdown as far as how much goes to administration versus actual programs).
You’ll find everything from groups that help the homeless to elite research universities, and there are some good ones here in Illinois as far as the more-stars-than-not category.
Comment by Angie (post-script) Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 10:49 am
I am very, very rarily in Chicago, but when I have been I try to avoid the people who directly ask me for money… “Can a askt yal a question?” Followed by my friends reply, “We don’t know the answer.” And we kept walking (that was right outside the Dirksen Federal Building). I did give fifty cents to a guy that was about 7-feet tall. But one experience has soured me to panhandlers… I was walking towards the metra, I don’t remember what street I was on but it was a block or two away from State. This guy begged, “Please sir, any money, have a heart, please, please help me.” You know what the guy was wearing? An Urlacher jersy, hole-free blue jeans, and dock martins!!! He was clean-shaven and obviously not living on the street. I wanted to tell him off so badly, but he was bigger and I didn’t want to risk having a weapon pulled on me (because this was at night). So, basically I am in full support of anti-panhandling laws. Hey, Giuliani did it and it worked out just fine.
Comment by Lovie's Leather Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 11:04 am
I knew a fellow who did a thesis on panhandling, looking into “society’s ills.” He really got his eyes opened when he found out that even doctors were out on the streets, this was in New York, panhandling for extra money. Some of them were actually on vacation, picking up as much as $600 per week! At first they didn’t want to talk to him, as he was too clean and neat to stay around them while they were “working” - so he grunged out and was accepted in. He was shown the “ropes” of making up a “hook” - a story to tell why you need the money - most of them are bogus like my sister has cancer, my car broke down, etc. They even spotted people out in the crowd and said you can get $5.00 from him, or stay away from that one - needless to say, he came away with a whole different point of view…
Comment by BBishere2 Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 11:06 am
Best panhandler I ever saw used a nifty variance on the ol’ “My car broke down and I need trainfare” routine.
This guy was wearing a construction hard-hat, was “talking” into a cellphone and was wearing a tool-belt and work boots. He was standing just outside the parking lot in China Town and claimed his company truck had broken down on the expressway and he needed money for the tow. I think he was asking for $50.
Now, if a guy’s company truck broke down the company would undoubtedly dispatch a tow truck, so I wasn’t fooled. But his costume and story were so detailed that I gave the guy 5 bucks for entertainment purposes.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 11:12 am
My favorite panhandler was a lady I saw only once. She came up to me on Sheridan Road outside a liquor store and said, “Hey honey, I’m a buck shy of a bottle.” Heck I gave her $2. I admire honesty.
Comment by cermak_rd Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 11:41 am
I fail to see what the panhandlers would “get” out of camping out next to “homeless parking meters”. The money that goes into the meters goes directly to the shelters and such, but the panhandlers almost always want cash in hand up front. What’s their incentive to stand by the meter? This may discourage them from hanging in an area where people have the option to plug a meter instead of puttin coins in the panhandler’s hand. Then again, once the panhandlers abandon that area, nobody’s going to continue feeding the meters either.
My strategy for panhandlers is I keep a couple of granola bars and mcdonald’s coupons on hand: so I will feed them if they say they’re hungry but if I give them cash, 99 percent of the time they use it for booze or drugs. I too have seen the same panhandlers for years in one spot, they obviously choose to beg rather than make any effort to work or get other help. They always turn down the food.
The distinction between panhandlers and homeless is an important one. Homeless really need a lot more help. Working around a few, I found out a number of them have mental illnesses that make it impossible for them to function in a 9-5 world, which could be helped a lot with consistent care and meds, but when they have no fixed address, no way to make and show up on time for appointments, they slip thru the cracks and get in worse shape. Then we spend much more money on them thru the police department and emergency rooms.
Homeless need very stable shelters where they can feel safe, store their things, shower and shave and get dressed for appointments for counseling/care/health services/job searches. They need communication tools like a fixed mailbox to get and send mail from, a phone card they can use on the street, yes, even an email address/account, which can be used to keep them in contact with family, keep their medical care and social services paperwork in accessible storage, allow them to “exist” in an internet-centric world.
If these tools sound extravagant to you, just imagine yourself in the position of being unemployed, no phone, no address for contacts, no place to get yourself put together just to go interview for a job, without your stuff getting stolen. Add to this you need meds and can’t get them. This is a darn difficult hole to pull yourself out of even if you are a “normal” person.
Might want to check out the new movie Will Smith stars in. Covers a lot of these same issues.
Comment by On the streets Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 12:44 pm
If you are giving to panhandlers then you obviously don’t give enough to charity to satisfy your conscience. You need to put out and be an adult by helping charities, not feeling all embarrassed when asked by stranger for cash, and at their mercy. You are the adult, take responsibility.
Take action. There are places to help people. Volunteer your time. Give on a regular basis through your church or fraternal organizations. Learn how to help people. Stop being passive and pretend these things take care of themselves. Government is really good for little. Don’t pretend our taxes are doing the job.
If you take action, when you are approached, you will know what to tell them and what to do. You would know who is at the local charity to help them, and can even tell them who to ask for. I even give them my first name and tell them to say I sent them over.
If you do your share, you can look people in the eye and sincerely help. They know a fake story too. If you are real, then they will know it and respect you. Many times I have been thanked by panhandlers, and I never give them money.
Having worked extensively in SF, Boston, Chicago, NYC, DC and other cities with large vagrant populations, I know coughing up cash for people is a very bad thing to do. It short changes the social organizations that spend 24/7 and every dime on these people, and they need you - not that sad guy with the story.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 12:51 pm
Dealing with panhandlers is tough. If you give them money, they will stay and won’t leave.
If you give to an organization that helps the homeless, are they going to promise that everything i give wil lgo to them, and not line the pockets of corrupt city workers, or, dare i say it, corrupt politicians?
If I give a homeless person a dollar, i know he’s gettting a dollar, and some other beuracracy is not taking their cut.
Comment by pickles!! Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 1:34 pm
True (and funny) stories.
Went to a concert once at the Aragon Ballroom (in Chicago) when The Black Crowes were playing, and everyone was in a line that stretched clear around the side of the building until doors opened (open floor plan, so you know how that goes if you want to actually SEE the band, right?) There was a complete whino just hanging out there, but he wasn’t bothering anyone, just drinking from whatever was in his paper bag (booze, no doubt), so someone started up a collection to buy the whino a new bottle of booze, and I’ll be darned if everyone didn’t laugh as they coughed up a buck.
Another time, some old black guy was playing some really good blues guitar while his guitar case was open next to him. You should have seen the money piling up in that guitar case. And the fellow was a great player, too, I might add.
Comment by Angie Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 1:49 pm
I think the proper term, in the correct slang vernacular, is wine-o and not whino.
Pardon my error.
Comment by Angie (oops!) Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 1:52 pm
When I am downtown I usually give my doggy bag to a homeless person — I usually find the ones that seem to be in very bad shape — almost always, they are very, very appreciative.
Comment by Just Observing Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 2:14 pm
Just a comment on a couple of the comments that I found to be unfairly judgmental in tone.
Sometimes when people “choose to beg” it’s because they have mental illnesses such as depression. Treat the illness and often you find a newly-motivated person who can find the bootstraps again.
Others “choose to beg” because they have been attacked and/or robbed at the shelters. My family took in a homeless man who was small and had mental retardation and it wasn’t long before his stories about stealing and sexual abuse/coercion came out.
You can’t know what a person is going through just by looking.
BTW I think the meter idea tends to strip away the human connection aspect, which some may desperately need. What must it be like to have so many people avoiding eye contact with you?
Comment by Calypso Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 2:39 pm
I served as a member of my churches’ St Vincent DePaul Society, where you didn’t necessarily need to be homeless to get a handout.
That’s where some informed me about how people “work the circuit”.
Panhandlers are often coached by social workers for various agencies on how to “hook” marks, how to stake their turf, how to “pay homage” to local law enforcement to avoid getting shagged out, and how to play multiple private “giveaway” organizations to get the most cash and benefits in addition to public assistance.
Probably the most effective panhandlers for me are the Mom’s who just stand there stoically, and unmoving, downtown with one or two humbly dressed munchkins hugging at their legs.
I know that all the cash probably winds up supporting her boyfriends drug habit, but I usually put a buck in her cup anyway.
Call it a triumph of hope over street wisdom.
Comment by PalosParkBob Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 3:16 pm
Re: “What must it be like to have so many people avoiding eye contact with you?”
People don’t care, no matter how much they say they do. They care because they don’t want to feel the guilt of not making sure someone didn’t go hungry, or because they know crime may become an issue, which will affect them if they are crime victims, and so often, they give, but it isn’t entirely altruistic. You care because of the expectation that if it were ever you or someone you know, others would help (delayed version of reciprocal societal altruism).
People will give if you throw a fancy party and have them splurge on designer gowns and invite them to dinner, and they will bring checks, but those same people would never ever sit with someone down on lower Wacker drive in the City of Chicago and ask, “Why are you out here?”
Sad but true.
Nevertheless, give a little anyways. People do have to eat.
Comment by Angie Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 7:21 pm
I work close to Michigan Ave, and see panhandlers daily. If they are not agressive I usually give the change in my pocket. You never know which one is Jesus, and I don’t want him to tell me “I was hungry, and you wouldn’t give me a quarter.”
Comment by Elder Friday, Dec 15, 06 @ 9:48 pm
I hate when you decline to give and/or ignore them and they say in a condescending, sarcastic manner, “God Bless you.” Get him to bless yourself, and maybe you won’t have to leech off working people.
Comment by Not So Fast Monday, Dec 18, 06 @ 11:50 am