Give to social services, not panhandlers

Cincinnati

Jonathan Kovac reads in his cell at the Hamilton County Justice Center in October of last year. He was arrested for trespassing, and is usually released shortly after. But at this point he has been in more than a week because of his history of not showing up to court dates.

When you visit Downtown for dinner at one of our great restaurants, or to see a Broadway show at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, or catch a game at Great American Ball Park, you may cross paths with a panhandler – someone holding a sign or extending their hand for money. Panhandlers grow in number when money is easy to come by. We are a generous city with generous people.

And that's why public education about our "Give Responsibly" program is needed. The instant gratification of giving a dollar to a panhandler would be better spent as a donation to one of the many agencies that provide food, clothing, shelter, addiction assistance and other services to those in need. A list of agencies is at www.DowntownCincinnati.com and in our new "Give Responsibly" brochures.

Holding a sign or extending your hand is not against the law but we know that it is bothersome to many of our visitors so we have these tips for responding:

Walk briskly and confidently.
Politely say no or sorry.
Call the Downtown Ambassador Hotline at (513) 623-3429.
Call the Cincinnati Police at (513) 765-1212.
Call 911 if you feel threatened.

Aggressively soliciting from certain locations such as near an ATM or bus stop is illegal. Any behavior that is menacing or threatening will not be tolerated, and the Cincinnati Police will respond.

But alternatives to enforcement can be effective and can attack the root causes, which is why Downtown Cincinnati Inc. employs a full-time social services outreach coordinator who works with the Cincinnati Police and social services agencies to connect panhandlers to long-term solutions.

David Ginsburg, president and CEO, Downtown Cincinnati Inc.