What they are Saying

I've begun hearing from some of the people I've contacted and it looks like a united front, so far, on the side of not giving money. Still, there are a few nuances I'll try to tease out as we consider (or at least I do :-)) what our response might be. There are four days left to respond to the poll and I hope you'll all do that. The answers are spreading out a bit, though most of us, so far, are in the mode of avoiding eye contact and moving on.

Daryll Rasnake, a Pastor at Church Street United Methodist, works daily with homeless persons. Church Street maintains an open door policy so, often, those entering are homeless. Whenever someone panhandles at the church he engages them and offers help. He feels that once money is given, an expectation follows and aggressive behavior often results at any subsequent denial. His advice is never to give money and he relates a story of a homeless person who died last winter after getting money on Cumberland that was used to get drunk and later, in his drunkenness, a candle was overturned and he died inside his tent. Clearly this was not the intention of the person who gave the money, but it happened all the same.

He continues . . .


"So what is the best alternative? I believe it is to engage in a relationship. . . This can be to simply have a conversation and try to talk about what the real need is. If the real need is food, first realize that food is pretty readily available in Knoxville. . . Offer to buy a meal and bring it back. . . Never offer a ride or go alone even with someone who looks harmless. If you're in a group, invite them to join you . . . never ever give money for prescriptions or medications. . .we often get requests for bus fare on KAT. . . KAT passes are sold at the transfer station for $0.50 on the dollar and thereby become currency. . . I will never say to someone I don't have cash because frankly that is a lie. . . I want to treat our homeless friends as human beings deserving of our best care and concern. It is the flippant response that is so often expected and given (avoidance or the quick handout) that creates a situation of devaluing their humanity."

Bill Shiell, Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church said none of the above options work every time, because situations are each different. . . He says he never gives cash. He continues, "If there is time, I talk, assess, and treat them as I would anyone else who wants to stop and talk. If there is a request for food, I suggest places where they can find food that's available. We have about 6 free meals daily in downtown Knoxville that I'm aware of. If it's shelter, I suggest where they can find shelter. After that, it depends on the situation . . ."

Ginny Weatherstone, Chief Executive Officer, Volunteer Ministries Center, says she discourages people from giving money, but suggests giving them information as to where they "might receive help."


She continues: ". . . many of Knoxville’s panhandlers are not homeless and it’s not accurate to assume that they are. . . there are adequate services in Knoxville to meet the immediate needs of the homeless. . . Three meals a day are served at KARM and you do not have to be enrolled in a program to get a meal there. . . other agencies serve meals, VMC being one of them, but they may require you to be involved with particular programming. . . They have options without resorting to panhandling.

"One of the scenarios you mentioned was about a woman who said that she was refused help with her medication because she had a home in Townview Towers. Specifically, she stated that VMC said they could not help because she has a home. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, VMC has a particular program, the Bush Family Refuge, that helps people who are marginally housed . . . Quite often I hear that someone told an individual that they were refused services, etc. and it is simply not true. One strategy is to offer to call the agency and inquire for them. When this offer is made, the story sometimes changes or the person goes away. . . It is widely known that we (verify stories); sometimes people will say that VMC refused to help and that is true; their story simply did not check out.
"Most agencies will welcome your inquiring on behalf of someone you might encounter. Do not hesitate to call them. And instead of giving to panhandlers, I suggest that you contribute to the agencies that serve the poor and homeless. Speaking for VMC, I would invite you to make an appointment for a tour and to learn more about how we work with people in need.

"The line I usually use is simply “I’m sorry, I don’t give to panhandlers. If you truly want help, I’ll be glad to tell you where you can go but I won’t give you any money.”

Finally, another comment was posted on the original story. In case you missed it, the person stated that they had talked to the same person I had who told the story about the prescription and hungry children at home. This commenter said that she (he) finds it hard to give money to people who rehearse a story and tell it over and over.

So, there you are. There is still time to participate in the poll or to comment below. I'm not going to stay on this topic forever, but I felt it was important enough to entertain for a few days. I'll wrap it up, soon,and give some final thoughts. I'm still waiting to hear from the Episcopal, Presbyterian and Catholic churches, should they care to join the discussion.

"Once upon a time . . .

You threw the bums a dime, didn't you?"

-Bob Dylan "Like a Rolling Stone"-

Homeless man going through garbage, Wall and Gay, Knoxville

One reality that anyone living in an urban setting must face is the issue of homelessness. While many people weigh in on our local discussion of housing first for the homeless, versus I'm not sure what, those of us who live downtown have a much more personal and less theoretical interaction with the topic. Knoxville certainly seems to have its share of homeless individuals, though I've seen far more in other cities, such as New Orleans. Sometimes I wonder if our homeless population seems larger because of the relative smallness of our downtown area.

I tend to evaluate the homeless people I meet, which may just be a more comfortable word for "judge." I have a mental health background, so I can usually determine who might be mentally ill. Then there are those who seem likely or obviously addicted. Some are old, feeble mentally and/or physically and clearly incompetent to alter their situation on their own. I tend to react differently depending on that determination.

There are also a couple of different groups I've seen come through town in the last year who are young, apparently able-bodied and very aggressive in asking for money, food or cigarettes. They are the most intimidating and the group I feel least inclined to help. They often stay in a group and sometimes block sidewalks forcing people to deal with them.

So what to do?

Reactions to homeless people run a gamut from pretending not to see them or aggressively confronting them, to attempting to help in some way. I'll confess I've been guilty of pretending not to see them - avoiding eye contact because I think I'm about to be panhandled. Of course, some homeless people don't panhandle and some panhandlers aren't homeless, but there is  a large overlap.

Here are some situations I've faced in the last few months:

When passing a small group of young, very dirty, seemingly able-bodied  men I was asked for money. "Help a brother out," or something similar was said. I kept walking and shook my head. As I walked away one of them called out, "That's right. Rich people don't care nothing about the rest of us." The same person saw me later and said something similar.

"Frank" approached me one night on Gay street and asked if I would help a veteran. I kept walking. The next night he approached me on Union Avenue and pitched the same thing, this time displaying a card that, I suppose, was to support the truth to his claim. My companion engaged him in conversation, so he followed us on the sidewalk. I finally gave him a dollar and he kept following us and asked for another. I said no and he laughed and said I couldn't blame him for trying.

A woman, around thirty years old, missing teeth, overweight and poorly dressed stopped my group on Market Square on a Saturday night. She said she had been waiting for someone at St. Johns who was supposed to help her, but that after four hours they said they could not do so. She said she had two hungry children at home (subsidized in Townview Terrace) and she was badly in need of money for her epilepsy medication. She said FISH (local food organization) couldn't help her until Wednesday and that Volunteer Ministries and the KARM wouldn't help her because she had a home. Even if a church could help her later, it wouldn't do her any good right now. She said the police only offered to take her children into protective custody. She pointed out that the missing teeth were from her abusive husband who is now in jail. For twenty dollars she could buy food and fill her prescription.

I've been asked for cigarettes, lights, money, money for coffee and money for gasoline. I heard one woman ask a group of men for money so she could "get drunk and get laid." They gave it to her because, they said, of her honesty.

So what would you have done in each of these situations? What is truly helpful? I'd like to hear your stories of encounters and how you handled them. E-mail me or comment on this post. This will be the subject of this month's poll and I'll also attempt to get answers from some of the downtown people who certainly should have an opinion.