In need of help or In need of cash?
Jul. 8—If you've made a trip to the Citizens Bank on Arlington or went to the Arlington Shopping Center, you've probably seen a family begging for money just on the corner of the intersection at Country Club and Arlington.
The reasons on their signs are different but their message is the same, they need money. As you have already guessed, the family in need isn't as legitimate as they want you to believe.
From the signs that have contrasting reasons for why they're out there to citizens saying they have seen these same people in Ardmore and McAlester, it looks more and more like this "family" is a bunch of traveling panhandlers. The next question we should be asking is, what can we do about them?
The answer to that question is complicated, because technically there isn't anything that can be done.
Police Chief Carl Allen gets calls and complaints about the panhandlers frequently but says there's not much the police can do either.
"We can stop them when they impede traffic and we've done that a couple times...but as far as opening up cases and trying to prove that their methods are fraudulent, it's almost impossible," Allen said.
This group is not the first group of panhandlers in Ada and each time a new group comes, despite the city having ordinances against panhandling, we have to wait until they decide to move on. What protects these potential scammers is the same thing that protects you from having to censor our thoughts, the freedom of speech.
Panhandlers have used the first amendment right to continue begging for years. In 2021, Oklahoma City was ordered to pay one million dollars to five attorneys who challenged an anti-panhandling ordinance on behalf of two homeless men, two joggers, a journalist and a community activist.
Sadly, there can't be a law that stops panhandlers as it would affect many other individuals like the homeless. It is up to people to decide if the beggars are truly in need of help. So that brings us to our current panhandler situation, does this family truly need help?
We at the Ada news attempted to reach out and ask them why they were here. When we asked if they lived in Ada, one man said that they lived in Oklahoma. When we asked why they were out there begging for money, the same man told us it was for their rent.
We then asked if there was any other reason like a sick child as it said on one of their signs but he only repeated that it was for rent. They quickly ended the interview after that. The Ada News is not the only people that have tried to contact the family to gather more information about their situation.
Sarah Frye the Director of the Ada Homeless Services was contacted by a friend about the family. Frye and her team have contacted the family and informed them of the many resources available to them if they are in dire need. Frye says that the family has not contacted them nor have they applied for the housing program that Ada Homeless Services provides.
During Frye's investigation into the family's housing situation, she found out that they are not homeless at all. In fact, Frye told us that she initially found the family's apartment expired lease in Oklahoma City at the Rosemont Apartments. After Frye contacted the apartment manager at Rosemont, she learned that they not only still lived there, but also that the family is renting nine other apartments in that same apartment complex. Frye confirmed with the apartment manager that the family was much larger than the few seen at the intersection and they all panhandle in different areas.
"It's extremely frustrating to find this out," Frye said. "I personally know some people that felt that they needed to help them out...and it sounds like panhandling is their job."
'It's become all too common nowadays where panhandling can become almost like a full blown business. It's hard to discern when a person is down on their luck or a person trying to scam you but Police Chief Allen advises the people of Ada to ignore them when they pass by your car.
"Keep your windows rolled up and don't pay attention to them," Allen explained, "The real ones are going to go to the official places they need to go or the churches are going to reach out to them."
Even though there are a lot of scammers out there, there are some individuals who are genuinely struggling. If you are one of those people or if you know of someone, there are always options out there.
Frye has a street outreach team that is happy to respond to any situation involving the homeless community, just contact 580-272-0211 or email adahomelessservices@gmail.com.
