From Fox News: Due south of Denver’s homelessness crisis, a Colorado county has nearly eradicated its own unhoused population with a simple message to its citizens: “Handouts Don’t Help.”
Throughout Douglas County, there are about 70 signs with the message at intersections and roadways that were once popular hangouts for area panhandlers. Each sign directs citizens to DouglasHasHeart.org, where they can redirect their donations to the Douglas County Community Foundation. The county took to print media and advertisements online to spread the message through the community.
“The thought dawned on me from a common sense standpoint – I saw a lot of people like my daughter feeling conflicted at an intersection,” Republican Douglas County Commissioner Abe Laydon said of the initiative.
“If you see someone who appears to be down on their luck, it feels bad when you drive by and don’t do something – but the flip side is we all know the stories of those who maybe did not use all the funds they received in the most appropriate way. Maybe it’s going to food, maybe it’s going to drugs – you don’t know where the money is going.”
“It seems like the more you give at those particular corners, the more people it attracts. It becomes a conversation topic on the streets – if you go to this corner, you’ll get money there,” Laydon added.
Once he encouraged people to stop giving money to beggars at intersections, an interesting thing happened: intersections and street corners where homeless people once hung around were soon clear of beggars.
Laydon started the “Handouts Don’t Help” program, in which Douglas County’s Homeless Engagement, Assistance and Resource Team (HEART) pairs behavioral health experts with area police officers in their interactions with the homeless. Driving around in marked vehicles, the HEART Team approaches each homeless individual who is reported, identifies what they need, and offers them services to get back on their feet.
This solution is reportedly working much better than people just handing money to the homeless individuals.
“Douglas County has functionally ENDED homelessness in our community! When I started the homeless initiative three years ago I never would have imagined I’d have the opportunity to say those words and work with so many incredible partners to get here. My thanks to each of you🙏🏼,” Laydon wrote in a social media post last month.
Douglas County has functionally ENDED homelessness in our community! When I started the homeless initiative three years ago I never would have imagined I’d have the opportunity to say those words and work with so many incredible partners to get here. My thanks to each of you🙏🏼 https://t.co/JAXck7lyK9
— Abe Laydon (@AbeLaydon) August 16, 2024
Due south of Denver’s homelessness crisis, a Colorado county has nearly eradicated its own unhoused population with a simple message to its citizens: “Handouts Don’t Help.”
I’ve tagged Anchorage Mayor in hopes she could get on board with Handouts Don’t Help. pic.twitter.com/d1q7NF7eHc— Gruvinak 🇺🇸 (@GruvinAK) September 23, 2024
Blue state county bucks trend on handouts – and homeless population craters https://t.co/7kAWxvC7sp
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 23, 2024
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