Public not using donation boxes

Panhandling deterrent boxes get average of $44 a month

A sign attached to the side of a "Change for the Better" box along Capitol Ave. in the downtown. Donations to the boxes has fallen short of expectations.

A sign attached to the side of a "Change for the Better" box along Capitol Ave. in the downtown. Donations to the boxes has fallen short of expectations.

Monday, December 24, 2012

— In 2008, in an attempt to cut down on the number of people panhandling on the streets of downtown Little Rock, officials with the Little Rock Downtown Partnership and the Southside Main Street Project placed 28 “Change for the Better” donation boxes on well-traveled corners.

Four years later, the return has been less than abundant, said Sharon Priest, executive director of the partnership.

“It’s very difficult to tell someone who’s panhandling for money, ‘I’m going to put it in the orange Change for the Better box,’” Priest said.

From October 2008 to Nov. 2, 2012, a total of $2,093.34 has been collected, Priest said.

“It’s really kind of sad,” Priest said. “The money could be going to good use rather than giving it to a panhandler.”

To deter the public from handing money to panhandlers, the two organizations, with the support of Little Rock city officials, joined forces in 2008 to put the orange boxes on downtown sidewalks with signs that say “Don’t give into panhandlers, give here,” Priest said. The money collected is split among groups that help the homeless, including Our House, Friendly Chapel Church of the Nazarene, River City Ministry in North Little Rock, Salvation Army and Union Rescue Mission/Dorcas House, Priest said. Similar programs were successful in other U.S. cities, including Denver, which collected $2,000 in its first month, according to a 2008 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article.

Some of Little Rock’s oldparking-fine payment boxes were used, and others were bought at $80 apiece and painted orange for the program. By December 2008, the public was still confused, with collectors occasionally finding parking fine payments in the boxes instead of donations. In three months, $285.69 had been collected, Priest said.

More than 26 entities, such as Central Arkansas Transit Authority and Juanita’s Cafe & Bar - sponsored the boxes, paying $14,700 in $300 to $1,000 donations for one to three years of sponsorship.This went toward buying the boxes and promotional materials, said Becky Cooke Falkowski, the partnership’s director of public relations, communications and membership. Money not used on the promotion was split among the homeless organizations, and no more money has been collected from area businesses, Falkowski said.

In March 2009, part of the promotion money went to stickers added on top of the boxes, which explained: “Put your money with service agencies who are working with homeless in downtown Little Rock. Don’t give to panhandlers. Give to Change for the Better.” In 2009, $584.91 was collected.

The only significant increase throughout the four years was in 2010, with $619.71 collected from the boxes. As the national economy continued to decline, so did donations, with only $447.29 collected in 2011, Falkowski said.

Priest said collections usually total $40 a month “if we’re lucky,” which means donations to the homeless organizations aren’t made often.

“I try to do it when I have a decent amount of money,” Priest said. “To do a distribution of $10, it’s like, ‘Oh really, is that the best you can do?’”

As of Nov. 2, $155.74 had been collected this year. Due to construction, there are currently 27 available donation boxes, Priest said.

“Part of it may be because they don’t know what theboxes are there for,” Priest said. “When people put money in that box, it’s meant to help homeless people.”

Despite the poor response, there are no current plans in place for further promotion of the boxes, Falkowski said.

While donations are stagnant, some downtown businesses in Little Rock and North Little Rock have seen a small uptick in panhandling recently, while police say they haven’t seen much change. For business owners, few are in the giving mood.

“It’s not good for any downtown district, whether it is my side of the river or Little Rock’s. It scares families,” said Terry Hartwick, president and CEO of the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce. “Most businesses kind of cringe when they see someone sitting at their front door asking people for money. I think you wouldtoo.”

Whether it’s in the downtown streets and alleys in Little Rock or popular intersections such as JFK and McCain boulevards or Broadway and Locust Street in North Little Rock, the people with their hands out seldom vary, according to local law enforcement.

“I haven’t seen anything to indicate an increase,” said Little Rock police spokesman Sgt. Cassandra Davis. “You have your usuals in the traditional places but no real rise in panhandling.”

William Tollett, executive director of the Union Rescue Mission, which has shelters in Little Rock, said he’s seen fewer panhandlers holding up signs on street corners, but those approaching people andbusinesses for money are “as active as it’s ever been.”

“There is an active engagement of providers and services to the homeless,” Tollett said, referring to area churches and shelters.

In January 2011, four counties - Pulaski, Saline, Lonoke and Perry - reported 1,276 sheltered and unsheltered homeless, which included men, women and children, said Jimmy Pritchett, Homeless Services Coordinator in Little Rock.

However, Pritchett said, most panhandlers are not homeless, but do it to “make a living.”

“A lot of these panhandlers, two to three at a time, show up at specific locations at a day.They’ll buy beer, liquor, those kinds of things,” Pritchett said. “Most homeless people do not panhandle. They don’t interact with people for the most part.”

Local police disagree.

“We believe they are homeless,” Davis said.

North Little Rock’s spokesman, Sgt. Brian Dedrick, echoed the same impression.

“We’ll ask them to just move along,” Dedrick said. “But the ones that tend to stay around, most of those are homeless.”

Tina McFadden, director of social services at the Salvation Army, said she often sees panhandlers standing with signs asking for food down the street from the organization’s Center of Hope, at 1109 W. Markham St. in Little Rock, where they can get a free meal.

“Don’t give them money,” McFadden said. “If you really want to give them something, give them food, a couple ofburgers.”

Pritchett said he offered a panhandler food once in San Antonio and the man gladly obliged.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone do that,” Pritchett said. “They’ll [usually] say no and turn around and walk off.”

The “aggressiveness” has been unnerving lately to Little Rock’s downtown businesses, Priest said.

“They’re coming up in groups as opposed to just oneon-one and they’re not very happy when they’re told no,” Priest said.

Some businesses try to compromise. Martha Hugg, manager at Gusano’s Pizzeria, at 313 President Clinton Ave. in the Little Rock River Market District, said while they don’t give out food or money to panhandlers, employees will often leave leftover pizza in boxes on top of the trash can outside the restaurant.

“So they can just take it,” Hugg said. “When someone is digging in the trash for food and people are watching, you feel really bad.”

Most business owners, among them David Chu, owner of Argenta Drug Co. at 324 Main St. in North Little Rock, said they will tell a panhandler to leave before calling a third party.

“I’ve had customers drive up right here and [a panhandler] walks up to them before they even get out of the car,” Chu said. “They’re scared they’re going to get carjacked or robbed.”

Davis said panhandling poses a “quality of life” issue to the public, but for the most part, those with their hands out don’t pose a threat to public safety.

“In terms of priority, [panhandling calls are] not way up there,” Davis said. “When we contact [panhandlers], officers make sure they don’t have a warrant [issued for their arrest].”

Hartwick said he calls the police when businesses inform him about panhandling, and officers have put “extra patrols” in those areas.

On the enforcement end, police don’t frequently issue panhandlers a citation for violating city ordinances. Dedrick said only three citations have been issued for panhandling since July.

“To be honest, we don’t [cite them] a lot of times,” Dedrick said. “We just ask them to move on.”

Tollett said many panhandlers are considered to be chronic homeless, who “become comfortable and sometimes empowered to stay in that state,” while those in serious need seek outreach organizations.

“The faces of the new homeless, they’re scared,” Tollett said. “They’re out there, but they don’t want to be out there. They’re pretty industrious in finding a way to get off the street, but some of them may have had to come to that point of panhandling.”

However, Tollett said, the better gift would be contacting an organization like Union Rescue Mission for assistance.

“Let us know where they are and we’ll come help,” Tollett said.

Information for this report was provided by Spencer Willems of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Front Section, Pages 1 on 12/24/2012