Hiring more outreach workers – that's a productive way of helping people, while addressing concerns about disruptive behavior."

I'll say this again: many folks - both "homed" and Homeless - might cautiously get behind an "anti-aggressive" panhandling prohibition suggested by those trying to correct a perceived out of control problem but that support comes to a screeching halt when blanket panhandling bans are introduced, and it doesn't matter if its "only at night" or "only in certain locations." It has more to do with the trampling of Constitutional rights here than anything else and it's something those who are trying to address aggressive panhandling ought to keep in mind as they formulate approaches. And lets not forget the moral issue surrounding simple panhandling: do you really want to prohibit someone who might be begging truly for survival from getting a buck or two, courtesy of another (and seemingly growing scarcer by the minute) compassionate human being? It is a humbling experience to beg for money, let me tell you, and I believe this is an interaction that only the two primary players need to know about. It certainly doesn't need government intervention or regulation, especially if its a passive request for spare change.

Advocates say begging ban hurts homeless

Dallas: Some fear charity box plan will raise less; Leppert calls it sensitive

12:00 AM CST on Thursday, December 20, 2007

By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News dlevinthal@dallasnews.com

Dallas political and civic leaders are hailing a new anti-panhandling campaign as a way to deter frequent and sometimes aggressive begging downtown.

But some homeless advocacy groups say Dallas' "Lend a Hand" program, which urges people to put money they'd otherwise give to beggars into charity drop boxes the city will soon place throughout downtown, will only hurt the city's poorest residents and fail to significantly decrease panhandling.

"It's a little self-serving for an agency to say 'Give us the money, not the person on the street who may really need it.' People have a right to beg, and the general public has a right to give to or refuse someone," said Michael Stoops, acting executive director for the Washington, D.C.-based National Coalition for the Homeless, who also questioned whether the city would raise much money.

"People who are asking for money may have some very legitimate reasons for asking," said Tulin Ozdeger, civil rights director for the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. "I'm not sure this policy is productive. Hiring more outreach workers – that's a productive way of helping people, while addressing concerns about disruptive behavior."

But Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert says the anti-panhandling campaign is a sensitive and more effective way to ensure well-intentioned people's donations are really going toward helping the needy. During the program's first six months, the city will donate money collected to the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance and may dole out funds to other organizations after that, Mr. Leppert said.

"Also, we want to take the supply away. We want to make it so the panhandlers don't have anyone giving them money," the mayor explained at a news conference in downtown's Pegasus Plaza, a large Christmas tree towering overhead. "If we're going to be successful downtown, with all of the new investment, then we've got to reduce the panhandling."

Initially, about 40 donation drop boxes will be placed in restaurants and other downtown businesses, said Kourtny Garrett, vice president of DowntownDallas, an organization representing center-city interests that's partnering with City Hall in the "Lend a Hand" campaign. Later, converted parking meters also will serve as donation receptacles, and ultimately, the program is slated for citywide implementation, Ms. Garrett said.

Mr. Leppert added that he expects area businesses to match "Lend a Hand" donations dollar for dollar but didn't yet have details on which businesses would be making the matches.

The "Lend a Hand" effort comes just months before Dallas is scheduled to open its $23 million-plus Homeless Assistance Center, slated to provide a menu of social, mental health, emergency and shelter services to street-dwellers.

In recent years, Dallas has become increasingly intolerant of panhandling, which many city leaders consider, at best, a nuisance that dissuades further growth of a burgeoning center city increasingly filled with residents and tourists.

Dallas' anti-panhandling ordinance, strengthened by the City Council earlier this year, prohibits panhandling at night and places strict restrictions on how and where people may solicit money during daylight hours.

Many City Council members further argue that giving money to homeless panhandlers doesn't usually help them solve the underlying problems causing their homelessness.

"We've all had the experience of being approached by a panhandler and feeling conflicted," said District 14 City Council member Angela Hunt, who represents much of downtown. "On the one hand, we feel compassion and we want to help them. On the other hand, we don't want to enable the self-defeating behavior that's keeping them homeless."

Said Mr. Leppert, "What we're doing is the right thing. It's a balanced approach.