Toronto to Provide Housing for Panhandlers

The city of Toronto will spend an additional $2-million this summer, as well as an extra $5-million next year, to combat panhandling in the downtown area. The National Post's Allison Hanes reports that a "homes first" approach will attempt to provide the city's homeless with a safe and stable place to live.

The lion's share of the cash will be devoted to the hiring of 48 new outreach workers and increasing service availability. A portion of the money is also being reserved for a telephone system that will allow the public to alert social services to the locations of panhandlers.

Some city councillors voiced their disagreement with the plan, stating that too much money was being devoted to too small of a population. One suggestion, put forward by councillor Case Ootes was to ban pandhandling in the downtown core. Last year, police gave out 10, 584 tickets to panhandlers in the Toronto area.

A report commissioned by the city's Executive Committee has shown that the majority of panhandlers are homeless and, in fact, detest asking strangers for money. The report went on to debunk the myth that panhandling provided a stable and lucrative income - on average individuals earned only between $20 and $25 for a 7-hour day.

Local business operators, many who have complained to the city about panhandling outside of their doors, are showing an eagerness to cooperate with Toronto's Streets to Homes program by offering to provide employment opportunities.

Toronto's award-nominated Streets to Homes program was started in 2004 and has so far helped almost 1700 individuals get off, and stay off, the streets.

The plan to increase funding was approved on May 5 by city council.