Editor, The Times:
Have you ever seen a person on the side of the road with a sign that says they want a job? Have you ever wondered if they mean it?
I propose we find out if those people mean it because I believe they do. I recently listened to an eye-opening Ted Talk by Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. Berry.
He shared what happened when he tried to find out if those people really do mean it. You can find the video online here .
His program is called “There’s a better way” — because there’s a better way to help the homeless than what we are now doing.
What we are doing now is not working. How “There’s a better way” works is by asking panhandlers if they would like a day’s work instead of a day spent asking for money.
Panhandlers then spend the day picking up garbage, weeding etc. They are paid minimum wage and are fed once at the job site. At the end of the day, they are taken to a shelter, where they can get connected to counselling services.
“There’s a better way” has been able to house people, connect them to permanent employment and provide counselling services. In Albuquerque, they have been able to clean up 400 city blocks and collect more than 117,000 pounds of trash and weeds.
The mayor asked the local university to study the program and it was found to be cost-effective.
People are more likely to invest in themselves if we invest in them first.
That couple dollars you hand to a Panhandler won’t go to feeding the body it will go to feeding the addiction.
Isabel Moody
Kamloops, B.C.