Worcester's War on the Poor

Worcester, MA has recently enacted a campaign to end panhandling. Signs and billboards have been erected saying that "panhandling is not the solution."

I have a few different views on this. On one hand, to make Worcester an economically better place, getting rid of panhandlers makes sense. It makes Worcester a nicer place to come to, walk in, etc. However, it doesn't solve any problems, as everyone is saying. And frankly, I think Worcester has enough problems that getting rid of this one issue is not going to make it that much better. But that's a different story.

I feel for these folks who beg for money, but I also know for a fact that many of them are making off with a good sack of dough. I used to work at a local shelter and we would stop the van now and then to offer a hot lunch to panhandlers on cold days. More often than not the response was that they could buy their own lunches because they were pulling in quite a bit of money. One guy said he made $30 per hour regularly.

That being said, making poverty illegal does not reduce poverty. Thanks, Rudy Giuliani, for making that clear. Cracking down on panhandling does not eliminate it. It displaces the problem. People will go to a different neighborhood or a different town. It does nothing to funnel money toward real services for people who need it and doesn't propose solutions to associated issues, such as homelessness and substance abuse.

We know for a fact that the money is out there to help folks. What if nonprofits collected "emergency aid money" by panhandling at street corners? Granted, we would have a different name for it, but we could collect the money, distribute it to the proper folks who need it and still help make Worcester a better place. This could be a step toward a solution, rather than a goose-step toward oppression.

What we need are programs to help people with whatever issues keep them panhandling rather than getting an honest job. We need social workers who can work in the communities with folks to find solutions. As it is, social workers are either overworked and affordable, paid by the government, or else in private practice. Either way, people who need their services have to seek them out to get any help, which is a big barrier in itself.

Let's focus on the real issue. Let's help the people who need help.

See the City's document here