What drives a person to stand on a street corner holding a cardboard sign and asking complete strangers for money?

"Panhandling is a growing social and public safety concern in Marysville and across the nation," said Doug Buell, the city's community information officer. "The current sour economy has only raised panhandling's visibility."

Soliciting for money is not a new profession. Drivers are accustomed to seeing people holding homemade signs at busy intersections. Many ignore the silent pleas, averting their eyes to avoid any contact. Others roll down their windows and shout insults at the panhandlers. A few hand over some crumpled bills or loose change, or maybe a fast food hamburger.

But with the relentless downturn of the economy and increased job loss, panhandlers are beginning to look different. The scruffy guys and homeless vets are still out there, but so are middle-aged moms, 16-year-old kids and senior citizens.

The intersection of State Avenue and 3rd Street, next to the Vintage Violets store, is a popular corner for non-traditional panhandlers. Sometimes a woman in her 70s, accompanied by her elderly husband, holds a sign to cover most of her face. The humiliation of begging is out of character, a shame she never thought she'd have to bear.

A concerned driver stopped to talk to the woman last week. The couple lost their home when they couldn't pay their property taxes, she was told. Social Security just didn't leave enough to pay the mounting tax bill, and when they got behind it was impossible to catch up. Now they sleep where they can, with friends and acquaintances. The couple's children live too far away to help, the woman said.

When the seniors aren't on the corner, a red-headed woman who looks like she's in her mid-thirties can sometimes be found there. Cindy and her husband have three young children, ages 8, 4 and 18 months, and they rent a small place in Arlington. Up until a few months ago, she and her husband ran a small landscaping company but when the economy dried up, so did their business.

They've both been trying to find jobs but without much training in other fields they've had no luck so far. DSHS has denied benefits because their prior self-employment records show a sufficient gross income to support their family.

They do qualify for some food assistance and she visits the Food Bank when they can afford the gas to do so. She also turned to several churches for assistance but said she was turned away. "Maybe because we're not members. I don't know why," she said.

About a month ago, Cindy resolved to do the unthinkable-beg for money for her family. Now she stands outside the Vintage Violet one or two days a week, trying to scrape together enough to feed her kids and keep the lights on.

Then there is the troupe of people stationed at 88th Street and State, dressed in shiny white uniforms with pinned-on patches and shaking metal cans at drivers. A pieced-together flyer from one of the solicitors indicated they were collecting money to "rehabilitate recovering drug addicts."

"It's highly unlikely that a reputable non-profit would resort to panhandling-type activity," said Scott Randall, president of the non-profit Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts.

The city of Marysville passed laws against aggressive panhandling in 1997 based on concerns raised by citizens and motorists. According to the Pedestrian Interference laws, "It is unlawful for a person to aggressively beg or intentionally obstruct pedestrian or vehicular traffic in a public place by walking, standing, sitting, laying, or placing an object in such a manner as to block passage by another person, or to cause a vehicle driver to take evasive action to avoid physical contact."

Pedestrian interference is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 or six months in jail, or both.

The law provides for less remedy if a person is simply sitting or standing away from a sidewalk, making no effort to interfere with a citizen's ability to walk or drive, said Buell. In these cases, the person is assumed to have free-speech protection and law enforcement is unable to intervene.

Buell encouraged citizens to call 911 to report a panhandler who steps out onto a street to request money, or who approaches in an aggressive or intimidating manner.

The city of Arlington also adopted an "aggressive begging" ordinance in 2002, although assistant city administrator Kristin Banfield said, "We've seen it [panhandling] occasionally, but not terribly often."

In the end, contributing to a panhandler, no matter how compelling the story, may not be the best way to help the needy in our community. The Volunteers of America operates the 2-1-1 line, a resource-matching service that refers people in need to the agencies and service organizations in our area who can help fill that need.

Bill Brackin, the VOA's case management specialist, reported in early July that "requests for rent and mortgage and home heating assistance continue to be high. Callers with mortgage and tax foreclosure issues are rising." The 2-1-1 team also hears requests for child care assistance, financial help, and for issues ranging from domestic abuse to legal representation and clothing needs.

For the second quarter of 2009, 12,338 people called the 2-1-1 help line, and the agency provided more than 15,000 referrals to service organizations.

Working through the stacks of paperwork and required documentation may seem overwhelming to a person struggling to buy a basket of groceries. But if the alternative is to stand on the corner with a cardboard sign, it would seem to be worth it.

blog comments powered by Disqus