Last December, motorists in Williamsburg saw signs go up that discouraged giving to panhandlers on the road.
Since then, though, the county isn’t sure of the signs’ effects.
“When we put the signs out, it was really just to make sure people were safe, it’s not that we’re trying to monitor it to make sure the panhandlers aren’t there, we just wanted people to know that there are safer ways to give help,” said Jason Purse, James City County assistant county administrator.
The county originally placed seven signs, costing $495, in high traffic areas that had a large number of reports of panhandlers.
Since then, there haven’t been any additional signs placed but there also hasn’t really been many panhandling reports either.
On the signs, there is a number to call for those who need assistance but Rebecca Vinroot, director of social services for James City County, said she hasn’t heard of any calls coming in directly related to the panhandling.
Seeking help
The questions now is why aren’t county assistance offices seeing any of these panhandlers seeking assistance?
Shannon Woloszynowski, Williamsburg House of Mercy director, said numbers have risen in homeless care this past year, but these numbers don’t reflect in panhandling.
“Only a few of them panhandle, so what you see out there is really the tip of the iceberg,” she said. “I can honestly say there’s not a panhandler out there right now that we don’t know and aren’t already trying to work with.”
But part of the issue is that in some cases panhandlers can make more money on the streets of Williamsburg than they can at a job, Woloszynowski said.
Still, even with money made from panhandling, a lot of the panhandlers are still living on a week-to-week basis because they’ve been caught in a cycle that makes building a savings account seem impossible.
But panhandling puts drivers and pedestrians at risk in busy intersections and Woloszynowski said she’s seen more than one person need assistance after vehicle crashes as a result of panhandling and/or the homeless lifestyle in general.
And this is what the county said they want to prevent.
“It’s about how the individual chooses to meet their needs and as adults, they can do what they want but we’re just here to make sure that they’re doing it safely and if they need the help, they can get it,” Vinroot said.
Panhandling isn’t illegal and that’s part of why the county hasn’t regulated it, but instead are promoting safety concerns as a relation, Purse said. Still, drivers are seeing the small portion of the homeless population out on traffic intersections asking for money.
“From a human dignity standpoint, we just feel bad that they are having to do that and all we can do is offer them the assistance they need,” Woloszynowski said. “But by and large, they’re people struggling just like anybody else and this is how they’ve chosen to make ends meet in their lives.”
