Having been in Missoula for the long I have been here, I would like to bring to your attention one of the contemporary problems facing our society. This problem is something that we all know yet just ignore it by discarding it as a matter of impossibility. Looking at almost all towns in America, the problem of beggars has greatly escalated leading to more and more panhandlers as time goes by. This is what has struck my brain and would also like to share my ideas on how to at least solve this problem currently if not completely (.city-data.com/forum/missoula/723306-why-so-many-panhandlers-missoula.html).
The first factor to consider in this case is the cause of these people to be homeless since all panhandlers are claimed to be homes. In some interviews that I carried out personally, I found out that some panhandlers are learned people who were retrenched by their employers but due to some social problems, they found themselves out in the streets. In another case, I was able to reveal that some people just move out of their maternal home speculatively for search of greener pastures only to end up in the streets. This makes it difficult to precisely determine the cause of the rising number of panhandlers in our towns. Though not subjectively, some panhandlers do it due to the understanding that some people are generous thus will donate to them, others don’t like rude people around them thus will just donate to them to avoid any rudeness while other take advantage of the kindness of the society (missoulian.com/news/local/article_045468d8-8baf-11de-9a86-001cc4c002e0.html)
Having known the cause of these people to be out in the streets, we can then move to the next step on how to help them. Giving monetary support isn’t the best solution since the panhandlers will remain in the streets their whole lives. So as to counter this, the best option would be to lead them out of the streets and give them some skills on how to take care of their livelihoods. This is mostly offered in our local homeless people centers (missoulian.com/news/local/article_045468d8-8baf-11de-9a86-001cc4c002e0.html).
Taking just a cross section of what is offered in our local homeless people help centers; medical attention, food, housing and training are offered. If a person is out in the streets due to lack of housing, this person can be housed in these centers and offered some jobs so as to help them meet other daily needs.
For those who are out in the streets due to lack of skills to work in any sector, they can be advised to attend some training sessions which will enlighten them more and open up their minds to self employment opportunities. These people can easily fit in the private sector and informal industries which may help them meet their daily life demands (Purvis, 58).
Instead of giving a person fish, the best option would be to teach that person how to fish since not all days will you have enough fish to share out? This would mean that instead of giving panhandler money, the issue would be to help that person secure a place to be getting the money conveniently (Purvis, 52).
The other dimly illuminated cause of existence of panhandlers in our society is drug and substance abuse. From my sample survey, I was able to find out that at least 75% of panhandlers ended up in their current states due to drug and substance abuse. They claim that they got introduced into this vice eating our society while teenagers and when their pockets ran dry and they were addicted; they had to move out in the streets and beg (Joyce, 24). A solution to this problem also appears to be rooted in reduction of drugs entering our country. In the year 2010, it is estimated that cocaine worth millions of money was sold and consumed in the United States (Joyce, 25). If this vice was to be reduced if not completely eradicated, I believe the problem of panhandlers would be a gone historical event not an ever growing vice in the society (.city-data.com/forum/missoula/723306-why-so-many-panhandlers-missoula.html).
In conclusion, I would like to claim that showing love to these people is not only by giving them money. It would even be a better act of love to help them better their lives themselves instead of us making it better for them since they will only survive at our mercy. If we teach them to be self independent, we make them better people in our society.
Works cited
http://www.city-data.com/forum/missoula/723306-why-so-many-panhandlers-missoula.html
Joyce M and John G (eds). Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 2010 Print.
Purvis, G., and McInnis, D. M. Journal of Behavior Analysis of Sports, Health, Fitness and Behavioral Medicine: Implementation of the Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA) in a Long-Standing Addictions Outpatient Clinic. 2009 Print.
http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_045468d8-8baf-11de-9a86-001cc4c002e0.html
