Jul. 21, 2010 - Issue #770: Draw It Yourself
Vuepoint
To the poorhouse
While not as regressive or vilifying as Mayor Mandel's suggestion this time last year to fine panhandlers hundreds of dollars, the recent Have a Heart—Give Smart campaign is an interesting addition to the stigmatization of the poor and homeless in our city. The campaign serves to direct Edmontonians not to give to panhandlers, but instead direct their money to charities.
The campaign press release states that designated street teams will be set up to collect money if the person approached feels they'd like to give immediately. This not only defines redundancy, but is nothing more than licensed panhandling, giving to someone you feel comfortable with and that's ultimately what this campaign is about—comfort. It's as if we're saying, "We don't want to see poverty and need on our streets and in our communities, go back downtown where we've ghettoized the services you need."
The campaign itself, outside of serving to stigmatize a community of people, seems to serve little purpose. The report at the community services department that initiated the campaign mentions that Edmonton has recorded 30 repeat panhandlers, a small number compared to other major cities. Edmonton also has support workers on the street working to connect the homeless and those in need with social work and services. The city has also implemented strategies to deal with aggressive panhandlers who, by definition, obstruct a person's passage or insult, threaten or coerce a person to give.
So if we already have support workers reaching out to panhandlers, police to deal with aggressive assaults and we have the lowest rates of repeat panhandlers amongst cities, this campaign serves no purpose but to further the stigmatization against a group that needs our compassion and help.
Executive director of the Old Strathcona Business Association, Shirley Lowe gets to the heart of the matter: "The more panhandlers work a specific area, the more uncomfortable people become." And if panhandlers can teach us anything, it's that life is not always that comfortable. V
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