Beggars find San Francisco profitable...

[MORTARDUDE]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...5/BU262818.DTL

Beggars find S.F. profitable

David Lazarus Friday, April 25, 2003

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San Francisco hotel operators are on the right track with a new ad campaign, beginning today, that urges people not to dole out spare change to the city's legion of panhandlers.

But our sidewalks are overrun with beggars not because these people are all -- as the ads suggest -- junkies and hookers (although it might seem that way to merchants who say filthy downtown streets are driving away business).

Rather, street people of all stripes flock to San Francisco with outstretched hands for one reason and one reason only.

It's profitable.

I spent time with panhandlers up and down Market Street and was surprised to learn that most earn about $30 a day for their efforts.

Multiply that by, say, 100 beggars citywide -- a vastly conservative estimate -- and it's clear that thousands of dollars are being provided in handouts. Every day.

The problem isn't the panhandlers. It's us.

Paul Cook, 40, passes his days sitting on an old plastic milk crate near the Old Navy store on Fourth Street. His cat, Mutt, rests in a basket at his feet, the lure for passers-by to leave coins in a paper cup.

"People are nice and generous here," Cook said contentedly. "It's a great city."

It's hard to see this changing as a result of ads that feature smiling tourists and the words, "Today we rode a cable car, visited Alcatraz and supported a drug habit."

Another ad: "Today I did Tai Chi, donated some change and helped spread STDs."

The campaign, costing $65,000, will focus primarily on ads atop taxis and on the sides of buses.

"We're just saying that giving panhandlers a few cents does more harm than good," said Bob Begley, executive director of the San Francisco Hotel Council. "You're just increasing the problem."

A considerably less aggressive move was announced recently by mayor-wannabe Gavin Newsom, who wants San Francisco visitors and residents to hand out vouchers instead of cash. Yet here again, you have to wonder if the idea has been thought all the way through.

Eric Allgood, 29, who greeted passers-by near Union Square with a cardboard sign reading "Needy not greedy," had his doubts.

"I just got down from Portland a few weeks ago," he said. "They've got vouchers up there, and I'll tell you, they don't work."

Portland's program, dubbed Real Change Not Spare Change, features vouchers worth 25 cents apiece. The vouchers are redeemable for food, showers and clothing at a handful of shelters.

"It'd be fine if each voucher was good for a meal," Allgood said. "But they're not. A meal costs five or six vouchers. So what's the point?

"I can make $30, $40 in a day," he added. "I'm not going to go out of my way for a voucher."

Nevertheless, Newsom introduced a resolution at a Board of Supervisors meeting earlier this month urging city officials to move ahead with a voucher program. He also wants an overhaul of panhandling laws.

"I don't know of anyone who believes that what we're doing now on panhandling is working," he told me. "The people of San Francisco are fed up with aggressive panhandling."

Indeed they are. But why should we think that vouchers will be any more effective here than they've been elsewhere?

In Portland, John Czarobski, a spokesman for the business group running the local program, said only about 500 four-voucher booklets were sold to local residents in the past year -- a drop in the bucket.

"A lot of panhandlers just aren't interested," he said. "It's very discouraging."

Moreover, panhandlers I chatted with said they know exactly what would happen if vouchers were offered in San Francisco.

"People will just sell them," said Cook, the one with the cat. "That's all they'd be good for."

For instance, he said that while he doesn't do drugs, he still enjoys a nice stiff drink every now and then. Vouchers won't provide that.

"You have to think about how you're going to get what you need," Cook said. "Necessities, you know?"

Most of the beggars I met seem like nice enough people. They have their problems, sure, but they generally refrain from getting in your face, and they don't expect anyone to do them favors.

It's tempting to help out with some spare change. Hell, it's the decent thing to do.

But it's not right, and that's not because you're encouraging drug abuse or the spread of venereal disease.

It's not right because the streets are not an acceptable conduit for unstructured social services.

San Francisco residents should be proud of their sense of humanity. But rewarding people for begging is neither humane nor respectful. It's demeaning to all and a blight on what was once the most beautiful city in the world.

Newsom is correct. San Francisco needs to do something about its panhandlers, and it needs to do something soon.

My suggestion: Be cool. Be polite. And keep your money to yourself. Or donate it later to an appropriate charity.

That's not the answer, but it's a start.


David Lazarus' column appears Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. He also can be seen regularly on KTVU's "Mornings on 2." Send tips or feedback to dlazarus@sfchronicle.com.

[philly]

Although, I do understand the panhandlers can be a nuisance for tourism/business, I don't agree with the cities efforts of ridding the problem. It's no secret that California has a very high unemployment rate. Silicon Valley, alone, has roughly 78K people unemployed. With the high unemployment rate, our state has faced, we've seen rents fall, houses for sale and the homeless populations rise in the last couple years than we have had in nearly a decade or so.

There aren't enough available programs to aid the homeless. What may help to eradicate the homeless issue is having our economy stimulated.

There will always be homeless people, but not like we have right now. Today, many have do not have a choice in being homeless. Jobs are needed for the unemployed.

Providing vouchers to the homeless will not fix or discourage the panhandlers, as mentioned in this article. Jobs and homeless programs could make a significant difference in the lives of the homeless.

It's difficult to judge whether a panhandler is truly homeless. Knowing this, I cannot walk by one without giving something. My 12 year old son and I have lunch at the local burger place on weekends, and he donates his hamburger to a homeless Veteran that sits in front of the restaurant. He is always thankful for the offering.
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[MORTARDUDE]

I mentally made fun of the poor folk standing by the side of the interstate exits that I would see every day with their signs "Please Help" "Veteran" etc...
then I read the Bible a little more closely and thought of what Jesus did..."And Jesus will say to you on the day of judgment: ?Whatsoever you do unto these, the least of my brothers, you did it unto me. And whatever you didn?t do to the least of these, my brothers, you didn?t do unto me.?...

... so I make it a point to give each one $ 1 and a tract by David Charles Spurgeon ( Army Airborne Vet ( 1971-74 ) and motorcycle gang leader until 1990 ) .. a wonderful testimony... it can be found at :

http://www.charitybaptist.org/Current/fastlane.htm


So it isn't much...but I only hope that I or no one in my family ever finds themselves in that position... and if so.. that someone would be kind enough to help in some small way...

Larry