I read an article, some years ago, where an independent reporter followed two different panhandlers for two years and determined that they made about $37,000 per year tax free.....
Maybe this will work, I’ll give him credit for trying.
I read an article a while back, Houston I think, they went around and offered jobs to all the people standing with “will work for food” signs and such.
Most declined, saying they could make more standing there with a sign. One woman said OK let’s go. They had jobs lined up, took her to one, the employer hired her full time at day’s end.
A story from another angle, I read this in the Norfolk, VA newspaper about 1977.
A man was walking down the street and was approached by a typical bum asking for change to get breakfast. Figuring it was a ruse to get wine money, he offered to take the bum to breakfast at a cafe right up the street. As they ate and talked, he noticed the man’s shoes had holes in them, and it was mid winter, Christmas time. Trust me, it’s cold there right against Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic.
So he took him a couple of doors down and bought him a pair of shoes. The bum thanked him and they talked for a minute, and it was time for the good samaritan to go to work. The bum said wait a minute, Pulled out a check book and wrote him a check for $1000.
Turned out the “bum” was a retired doctor with a quite comfortable living, he did this every winter just to find such a kind soul and do a good deed. It made the Norfolk paper a few days after Christmas, I think it was 1977. I had just hitch hiked back there from Texas to visit some friends...Ended up back here a few months later.
This sounds like a program that might do some good, who knows. I’ve known a few street people, most had no interest in a regular job, few tried to do more than outright bumming to get by. I was playing music on 6th street in Austin for a while, did pretty good actually, and knew a couple who were mimes, most of the rest were just plain old bums with not much desire to be anything more. A few other street performers would come through from time to time, some pretty good, some almost mediocre.
The bums were always there, usually drunk. One tried to steal change out of our guitar case one night, one tried to start a fight with me, claiming I drank his beer...I didn’t drink, hadn’t had a drop...most were harmless for the most part though. I slammed the guitar case lid on the thief’s fingers, then chased him 2 blocks down the street, he didn’t make that mistake again. I wanted a big chunk of his HIDE...I was surprised he outran me actually...barely, I was still only a step behind when I decided to back off..I was more surprised a cop didn’t show up. The cops there were great guys though, we had a very good relationship with them.
I have a bunch of stories from those days...6th street was great at that time.