City Acts Against Panhandling

The city put up new signs Monday night with the message "Say no to panhandling, donate to charity" at some of Santa Fe's largest intersections. Officials say the move is a response to high numbers of panhandlers—and the beginning of a new initiative to connect people in unstable situations to services that already exist, such as homeless shelters, food banks and addiction services.

Santa Fe's leadership hopes the new program will result in more services for people living on the streets, not fewer.

But the first day after the signs went up saw little to no disruption of the bustling panhandler scene in the city's medians. People could be seen holding cardboard signs and asking for money Tuesday afternoon.

"What's already out there doesn't even come close to addressing what people in this town actually need," says one homeless man panhandling at Cordova Road and St. Francis Drive with his girlfriend Tuesday afternoon. The couple did not want to be identified, but tell SFR they do not feel that they could get by without relying directly on the charity of those driving past.

The couple tells SFR that even with the help of existing agencies, addiction services are difficult to access and have limited space. They add that getting into affordable housing can take years. Finding employment without an address and with a criminal record is excruciatingly challenging, the couple says.

The woman says that even before she became homeless, she could not access mental health care resources, which contributed to her current situation.

Both wear clean looking clothes and are friendly and approachable. But they say there are also many people panhandling in Santa Fe's medians who "give the rest of us a bad name" by intimidating drivers or showing up high or drunk.

As we stand in the median chatting, a pickup truck slows to a stop and the driver reaches a handful of bills out the window. "You should know that people in this town appreciate giving directly to those in need," he tells SFR before hitting the gas.

SFR spoke to many passersby on the street and people in surrounding parking lots about the issue. Most expressed either indifference or sympathy to the panhandlers' plight.

"The city needs to do more for the homeless, but people have the right to do whatever they want," says Margeret Walters, who lives in Taos but spends a lot of time in Santa Fe. "If people want to give to the homeless, they should. And if not, then there's a lot of other good things to give to. The main point is just to be kind to one another."

John Garcia, who was homeless for a time himself, confirms that services can be difficult to come by. He says he now lives in affordable housing provided by the city, but that he was homeless for five years while he was on the waitlist. He says he feels concerned that many of the younger people panhandling are doing it for drugs, but that many of the older folks really don't have any other options.

"I think people should be allowed to do it, but the city needs to pay more attention to the youth," he tells SFR.

Kristine Mihelcic, director of the city's Constituent and Council Services Department, tells SFR the signs were placed in locations that were identified by the public safety departments as the hottest spots for panhandling. She says they are a pilot project with the goal of reducing panhandling and increasing local donations to agencies that serve the homeless.

"The project really started with the intention of getting people to the kind of long-term services and care that can make a lasting impact in their lives," says Mihelcic, who helped research and launch the initiative.

In addition to the signs, the city plans to start a new central fund in collaboration with Santa Fe County as part of a wider project called Connect that places "navigators" with organizations and agencies across the city to help identify and get people what they need to stay afloat.

Along with connecting people to various health and community services, that could mean anything from helping someone pay a month's rent so they don't end up on the street, to helping them replace bald tires so they can make it to work in the winter and keep their job.

Kyra Ochoa, director of the city's Community Services Department, is leading the effort to establish the Connect fund. She says she hopes the fund will do precisely that—help make sure that the city is paying attention to the individual needs of people in precarious situations. Money will come from the city and the county, but there will also be the opportunity for individuals and organizations to make private donations. The city already has 90 navigators at various organizations, but the fund will help them to pay for the little things that can make a huge difference in a person's life.

The signs call to mind an even more drastic measure taken by city of Albuquerque officials in 2017. They passed an ordinance that greatly restricted panhandling. In the two years prior, then-Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry launched a program he called "Better Way." One of its core initiatives was a direct precursor to Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber's new initiative: Berry encouraged people to stop giving money to panhandlers and, instead, give to organizations such as the United Way.

Berry's program at first received national praise and attention. Later, Albuquerque's Office of Inspector General determined "Better Way" hadn't been working as intended.

After Berry left office, another blow: In 2019, the ordinance was struck down by a federal judge who ruled in favor of an argument by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico that anyone has the constitutional right to ask for money in a public space.

In a news release, the City of Santa Fe made it clear that panhandling "is not illegal" and that this initiative is instead geared toward "raising awareness."

In the release about the signs, the city said it is trying to encourage people on the streets to seek out more long-term solutions to homelessness and substance abuse, while helping more well-off residents give in ways that have a greater impact "than a single handout."