Thursday, August 18, 2005
Denver Urges: Don't Give To Panhandlers
The fact that anyone goes homeless or hungry in our country is, to say the least, insane. In the wealthiest and most charitable nation's in the world, why can we not end once and for all this issue? According to the Urban Institute, approximately 800,000 people (of which 200,000 are children) are homeless on any given day. And, according to America's Second Harvest, more than 30 million Americans went hungry in 2001.
The presence of homeless and hungry in our society raises a very interesting debate: To give or not to give. Here in New York City, we are faced with this moral dilemma on a daily basis. On one hand, to give is to show compassion and the willingness to help another person in a time of need. Who can argue with this? Of course, this magazine promotes charity and the lending of a helpful hand. Then, when you ask others about why they tend not to give away pocket change on the subway, a common (a somewhat cynical) response is, "well, how do I know if this is truly a homeless person I'm speaking with and how do I know that I'm really helping this person out?" This line of reasoning is usually followed up with the statement, "besides, I'd rather give my money to an established charity like the United Way or the local food kitchen where I know the money will be used effectively." Hey, how can we argue with this point-of-view either? Both sides are right to a degree, and neither really are conflicting in nature. But still, the debate sits unresolved: To give, or not to give.
Enter the Downtown Denver Partnership and the City and County of Denver’s Office of Economic Development. They have released a study that showed $4.6 million a year is given to panhandlers. One visceral response is, "Great. The People of Denver are taking care of their own." Yet others, especially those of us working in the non-profit sector, are a bit more analytical and wonder what better good could be done with this money. Could $4.6 million dollars go toward programs that cut at heart of the perpetuating homeless issue. This money go toward much needed counseling services, shelters and food pantries. Indeed, the sponsors of the study encourage residents of Denver to funnel their charity away from the streets and into the local United Way. Is this necessarily better than just giving a buck to someone in need?
We are glad that the study sponsors have introduced this information. We only caution that people understand that the kind of attention that city agencies and economic development corporations pay to this issue is usually not the kind that you and I necessarily agree with. Cities across the country (New York and San Francisco included) have had their moments of looking ugly and without a soul when it come to addressing homelessness. Usually, these studies are brought to bare only to help raise public support for ousting the homeless from the streets, leaving them with no real housing alternatives -- classic NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) stuff. The issue doesn't go away, it just disappears.
This debate is an important one that needs to be pushed to the top of public discourse. We hope that residents and decision-makers in Denver will now be forced to confront their homeless issue. Obviously, people care enough about others to dish out $4.6 million a year to "help a brother out." Now, imagine what could be done if all of this care and concern was cultivated and focused into eliminating homelessness. I can.
read the article in DenverPost.com
read the story on Denver's ABC 7 website
read the story in bizjournals.com
read the story in Rocky Mountain News
The presence of homeless and hungry in our society raises a very interesting debate: To give or not to give. Here in New York City, we are faced with this moral dilemma on a daily basis. On one hand, to give is to show compassion and the willingness to help another person in a time of need. Who can argue with this? Of course, this magazine promotes charity and the lending of a helpful hand. Then, when you ask others about why they tend not to give away pocket change on the subway, a common (a somewhat cynical) response is, "well, how do I know if this is truly a homeless person I'm speaking with and how do I know that I'm really helping this person out?" This line of reasoning is usually followed up with the statement, "besides, I'd rather give my money to an established charity like the United Way or the local food kitchen where I know the money will be used effectively." Hey, how can we argue with this point-of-view either? Both sides are right to a degree, and neither really are conflicting in nature. But still, the debate sits unresolved: To give, or not to give.
Enter the Downtown Denver Partnership and the City and County of Denver’s Office of Economic Development. They have released a study that showed $4.6 million a year is given to panhandlers. One visceral response is, "Great. The People of Denver are taking care of their own." Yet others, especially those of us working in the non-profit sector, are a bit more analytical and wonder what better good could be done with this money. Could $4.6 million dollars go toward programs that cut at heart of the perpetuating homeless issue. This money go toward much needed counseling services, shelters and food pantries. Indeed, the sponsors of the study encourage residents of Denver to funnel their charity away from the streets and into the local United Way. Is this necessarily better than just giving a buck to someone in need?
We are glad that the study sponsors have introduced this information. We only caution that people understand that the kind of attention that city agencies and economic development corporations pay to this issue is usually not the kind that you and I necessarily agree with. Cities across the country (New York and San Francisco included) have had their moments of looking ugly and without a soul when it come to addressing homelessness. Usually, these studies are brought to bare only to help raise public support for ousting the homeless from the streets, leaving them with no real housing alternatives -- classic NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) stuff. The issue doesn't go away, it just disappears.
This debate is an important one that needs to be pushed to the top of public discourse. We hope that residents and decision-makers in Denver will now be forced to confront their homeless issue. Obviously, people care enough about others to dish out $4.6 million a year to "help a brother out." Now, imagine what could be done if all of this care and concern was cultivated and focused into eliminating homelessness. I can.
read the article in DenverPost.com
read the story on Denver's ABC 7 website
read the story in bizjournals.com
read the story in Rocky Mountain News
