Fairfax County officials are pledging more outreach in their efforts connecting panhandlers with services to stabilize their lives and get them off the streets.
“We want to drive people who have need to organizations that can help,” Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay said at a Feb. 10 meeting of the Board’s Health and Human Services Committee.
Board members’ comments came after the presentation of a new 62-page report by the Urban Institute, which delves into the motivations behind panhandling activities and won praise from some supervisors.
“The way that you’ve presented this really humanizes these individuals,” Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk said.
Many of those asking for money on the streets face “complex social and physical challenges,” according to Pear Moraras, who led the study with fellow researcher Paola Echave.
The study was commissioned in 2023 by the county after years of discussions about discouraging people from soliciting or giving money in street medians. During a five-month window last year, 40 people engaging in panhandling were surveyed across the county, with six agreeing to more extensive follow-up interviews.
About one-third of the respondents expressed an interest in receiving outreach services, yet “many of the people we spoke to were not aware of the resources available” to help them, Moraras said.
Echave told supervisors that most of those interviewed said panhandling was less a choice and more a necessity forced on them by their circumstances.
“Most interviewees had worked for the majority of their lives and turned to panhandling only after sudden life changes, such as injuries, health problems or job loss,” she said.
For many who were interviewed, “the interaction was the first time someone reached out to them on the streets,” Echave said.
The report calls on county officials to help those panhandling understand what support services are available, including housing and health care, and to provide outreach in multiple languages.
County officials acknowledged many of the points raised in the report were valid.
“Navigating the systems [is] a real challenge,” said Tom Barnett, deputy director of the Department of Housing and Community Development.
His agency has issued new contracts with service providers designed to “complement and support” existing outreach, Barnett said.
“There are new referral pathways we can create,” Barnett said.
County Executive Bryan Hill agreed that a more expansive approach would be taken.
McKay said the report was helpful, but acknowledged “there are no real surprises in here, for better and for worse.” Moraras agreed.
McKay noted that, in past years, safety-net organizations have become more active in reaching out to individuals panhandling, but “we haven’t really seen a measurable difference” out of those efforts.
The analysts identified 95 panhandling hotspots in the county — with a majority concentrated in the Mount Vernon (27), Franconia (18) and Providence (10) magisterial districts. Urban Institute spoke with individuals in every district for its survey.
During the meeting, a number of supervisors said panhandlers put both themselves and others in danger by standing in or near traffic. Several people have been killed over the years.
“The dangerous, risky behaviors are something we have all seen,” Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck said.
“Everyone’s goal here would be trying to end this,” McKay said.
Storck suggested that while some panhandlers are unwilling to accept help, others might.
“We need to do a better job reaching out,” he said.
Many of those interviewed for the report said they had been asking for money on the streets for more than a year.
Echave said there was “wide variation” among how much money they receive daily, with about half bringing in $50 or less, about a third seeing $51 to $100 and the rest taking in more than that. Most of those surveyed reported panhandling as their lone source of income.
A number of supervisors noted ongoing concerns raised by residents about the issue.
“Our communities are getting frustrated,” Storck said.
The policy of the county government, and many social services agencies, is to discourage giving money to panhandlers.
“Directing individuals in need to county-provided resources is much more effective in helping them find the long-term, sustainable assistance they require,” the county says.
At the same time, there are limits to what local officials can do to prevent people from engaging in the activity.
Courts have repeatedly ruled that panhandling is a protected act under the First Amendment, according to county officials.
“Asking for money in public areas, including roadway medians, is not a violation of law,” the county says.
The result has been something of a stalemate that has lasted for decades, and may continue into the future.
“I don’t know where the middle [ground] is,” McKay acknowledged.
