LAKE WORTH — On Oct. 15, the Lake Worth city council approved the chief of police’s new panhandling deflection program that will issue signs around Lake Worth to educate the public and panhandlers on where to find the proper resources.
Approaching the issue with compassion and understanding, this program focuses on the issue of panhandling and not homelessness. Typically, there are both passive and aggressive panhandling. Passive panhandling is the act of soliciting without making threats or without exchanging words at all with the person holding a cup, sign or a hand held out. Aggressive panhandling is soliciting coercively with actual implied threats.
Police Chief J.T. Manoushagian proposed the program designed to decrease the number of panhandlers by guiding them to the resources they need in hopes of decreasing panhandling itself. Manoushagian said going to the roadside and major highways isn’t the best place for panhandlers to get assistance.
“The goal of the program is to deflect the resources and the people to the proper organization that can help them,” Manoushagian said. “We just don’t believe that the roadside or major intersections are the best place for that type of assistance to take place.”
Manoushagian said many neighboring cities are implementing similar programs and the success of the program is public education. The chief also distinguished that this program is for panhandlers and not groups of people who put on events like car washes on private property with owner’s permission.
“We just simply want to share with people the best way to go about channeling their generosity, ensuring that the organizations that they may consider contributing to are legitimate and do in fact help the community,” Manoushagian said. “And so, it's going to require a small investment in some signage that we intend to strategically put up around the city to help educate the motoring public, pedestrians and also potential panhandlers.”
The chief asked for bus stop, intersection and business district signs which would cost $2,663, sign hardware plus installation will be $1,000 and business ambassador stickers are $250, bringing the total cost of the program to $3,913.
Council member Sherrie Watkins commented on the program, saying she is pleased Lake Worth is taking this step.
“I’m very pleased that we are taking this step forward,” Watkins said. “It's something that should’ve been done a long time ago. Or maybe the timing is just perfect now. I’m just pleased that we are doing this.”