Pineridge Blog

If you were to stand out on the corner of Barry Road and I-29 with a cardboard sign panhandling for a day, how much could you get in handouts?

I heard a KCPD officer this week who works with homelessness in our neighborhood say, based on their experience, the current estimated daily average is about $200. That sounds like a lot doesn’t it? Maybe too much?

Let me ask you this, why don’t you do it? You might have a source of income that is greater than you could ever make panhandling. It might not be too bad on a beautiful fall day such as we have enjoyed lately, but standing on the roadside on colder, hotter, or wetter days would not be nearly as much fun. Of course, shame, pride, and a sense of responsibility would probably be reasons we would give.

The main reason you might not do it is that you don’t have an addiction. Sadly, very few of those panhandling originally chose it as a successful career path. It usually comes only at the end of a long road strewn with broken relationships and lost opportunities as a result of chronic substance abuse. Most of the money re-ceived in small bills and loose change does not go toward a down payment on a house or into a college fund but into the hands of those who sell opiates.

At the end of his presentation the officer said, “Regardless of the individual’s back story each person has worth. Ours is not to judge the person but hopefully change the destructive behavior and bring a quality of life back to them. This is humanity.”
Very few panhandlers are “potentially dangerous,” he said, “Many have sad stories and are harmless; they just need our help.”
What is a generous person to do? A few simple ideas might be:

Give out Bags of Love (available by the Mission bulletin board) instead of cash, Be a budget counselor for Hillcrest, Support fair housing, Volunteer to help with the Alan Cloud Deacons Fund, Support plans for a homeless shelter in the Northland, Pray, “How can we not just give loose change, but provide real change?”

Jim