'You Don't See It A Whole Lot Here Anymore"

By Dean Wright, The Bristol Press

February 21, 2022

Panhandling activities may be up outside of Bristol, but area officials and even those that panhandle believe it’s lessened or maybe just changed within the city’s borders this winter.

“Especially when it gets cold out, you’d think people would be more caring, but if it’s [pouring out] and 15 degrees outside, they’re not going to open their window. They don’t care about you,” said James, a 29-year old man who preferred not to give his last name who has panhandled and lived in Bristol and Wolcott. “You don’t see it a whole lot here anymore because we’re shunned or [considered] third world citizens.”

He said he believes some panhandlers have moved onto other areas like Hartford in part due to policies used in Bristol making it harder for those asking for money. However, he said in his experience panhandling has also changed in some ways, as directly asking for money or carrying a gas can has at times yielded better results than holding a sign. Still, there’s a lot of need in the area, he said.

“You apply for a job; it takes like three or four days for that job to get back to you. Then you got another week until the interview, then you’ve got another two weeks until you get paid,” he said. “I started a job once in the middle of (a pay period) and I had to wait three weeks before I got any money.”

James’ girlfriend, Kalia Richards, 36, said they currently sleep in a vehicle so they are able to move around New England to some degree, when they can get gas. They will participate in delivery services to make money, but she said it’s either not enough or they encounter problems at times getting their money. She has ties to New Britain but has also stayed in Massachusetts.

Both she and James said nonprofits in Bristol have helped them and they were appreciative of it.

“Then they put out those signs and it’s like embarrassing almost,” James said.

Last September, Bristol City Hall began placing “Say NO to Panhandling, there’s a better way to give” signs in strategic locations as means of discouraging the activity. The signs also promote giving to local nonprofits and calling 211 to support those in need instead.

“It’s like humiliation. They put them where we try to get money and a meal,” James said.

Richards said the signs “separate” them from other people.

Richards said she’s been “chronically homeless” since 2016, partly due to struggles with her support network, mental health and legal challenges. James said he grew up in poverty and experienced issues with family life before running away and becoming homeless at 16. He said he’s traveled the country and that made him more resilient in some ways.

“[Though] sometimes something happens that’s going to take up all your money,” said James, using the example of a doctor’s visit. “If you’re not from the state and don’t know where to get work and you’re not trying to live there, it’s easy to panhandle. Certain places though, it’s harder to do that.”

James added since the holiday season is over, people were going to be less generous.

“It’s not even worth it anymore,” James said. “It’s honestly better to just do the gas station thing and go there with a gas can and maybe you’ll get a couple bucks.”

Richards said she didn’t feel like there should be a full condemnation of panhandling. Not every panhandler is a drug addict, the pair said. They did say it wasn’t uncommon to see people asking for money to support a habit though.

One area agency has seen firsthand the impact of covid on panhandling.

“We have definitely talked about panhandling over the years and seen an increase locally since the pandemic broke out and I don’t think we’re unique to that,” said Donna Osuch, president of the United Way of West Central Connecticut and chair of the Bristol Task Force to End Family Homelessness.

Osuch said communities across the state and others were seeing an increase, but she has seen a decrease.

“I don’t know if it’s due to any measures that the city has taken,” Osuch said.

She said she was aware of signs around town, but the task force and United Way often encourage such individuals to call 211 to seek services.

“I think the decrease right now has been due to the weather. I think that’s a major factor now. We’ll see come this spring,” Bristol Police Lt. Robert Osborne said. “It pulls at your heartstrings when people pull up to a red light and they’re there. If people continue to give money, they’re going to continue to be there.”

Osborne said it’s important to educate the public surrounding the issue.

“I think it’s more beneficial to [give to] a nonprofit than to panhandlers,” he said.

Bristol Mayor Jeff Caggiano noted there were services throughout Connecticut through the 211 phone number as well as local nonprofits that sought to assist people in need. He also addressed the sign campaign.

“That was a campaign done by the previous administration but is still highly backed by the police department,” Caggiano said. “I think that program may be somewhat effective. I do think the very cold temperatures have also not allowed for people to be out there. I think people still have to be vigilant about what’s happening and be mindful that the best way to help people is to get them the services available out there.”

The mayor said he would continue to back those efforts.

St. Vincent De Paul Mission of Bristol Executive Director Christine Thebarge has been in support of the giving to nonprofits as they have the capabilities of “maximizing a dollar” to feed several individuals. The mission is the only overnight shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness in Bristol.

Thebarge said she felt as covid rates have dropped and restaurants and other businesses have reopened, individuals that panhandle have been able to return to doing simple jobs to make a few dollars again. Nonprofits and city efforts have been looking to make relationships with area individuals in need and to get them into sustainable housing as best as able too. Not everyone who panhandles is without a residence though.

“Say you have a studio [apartment] and you were good enough to land [it for] $700 and maybe have food stamps, but how do you pay utilities on top of that?” Thebarge asked. “Here within our city, we don’t do boarding houses, so there can be a roommate situation or you have to creatively think about how you’re going to survive. Sometimes money doesn’t stretch.”

You can rent to someone in Bristol with a roommate, but you can’t rent out individual rooms, said St. Vincent Board member and City Council member Sue Tyler. As a Realtor, she said she’s seen housing challenges for landlords and tenants across the country.

“I think [panhandling] has definitely decreased,” Tyler said. “It wasn’t one office or organization. The community got together because it almost reached a boiling point. There wasn’t a parking lot in any of our retail stores you could walk into without somebody asking.”

Pat Stebbins, director of Brian’s Angels Homeless Outreach, said Bristol's downtown panhandling has gone down and she wasn’t sure why.

“I know we’ve lost a lot of people to the opioid epidemic and covid,” Stebbins said. “I believe a lot of the people previously panhandling may have gotten housed, like within the past year. The problem I see is evictions are going up and spring is coming and it’s more than likely going to get worse.”

She said she had been seeing more new faces at the outreach as of late.

The Herald-Press contacted the New Britain Mayor’s Office for information about panhandling in that city, but an official with the mayor said Mayor Erin Stewart would not have time to speak about the subject before press time.