Mayor Wants Crackdown On Panhandling

HOUSTON -- Houston's mayor wants to crack down on panhandling by having citizens not give money to the homeless directly, but through a nonprofit organization instead, KPRC Local 2 reported Monday.

Mayor Bill White wants donations made to Coalition for the Homeless, a group that helps the homeless, instead of residents giving cash to panhandlers on the street.

The Star of Hope is among dozens of homeless service agencies in Houston that make up the coalition.

The nonprofit group coordinates resources among agencies for Houston's homeless.

"Our job as a coalition is to provide the resources necessary for those particular agencies to provide a seamless system of service for those individuals who are homeless," said Anthony Love with the Coalition for the Homeless.

Terrence Mitchell was living on the streets of Houston a few months ago. He now lives at the Star of Hope mission, where he is receiving job training.

"I feel if people would give money to organizations like this, they'll know that their money is being put to good work. That's for sure," he said.

The Coalition for the Homeless was established in the early 80s and is funded by the city, county and federal governments as well as private donations.

"These are service agencies that have to be accountable for that funding. They have budgets that you can review. They have records that they keep. So, you can actually see where your money is going. And that dollar will go a lot further within that agency than with that individual. When you give it to the individual, you have no idea where that money is going," Love said.

More Information:

www.HomelessHouston.org