Spare change? City signs ask donors to support homeless organizations, not panhandlers

Signs are going up across Fort Smith encouraging people to give to local nonprofits that support homeless people — while also urging motorists and passersby to keep their change in their pockets and not give it to the unhoused at intersections.

The campaign is to discourage panhandling, not ban it, the city said.

“Change Helps.” These are the words on 25 signs being posted at intersections across Fort Smith, said city spokesman Josh Buchfink.

“Please do not give spare change to panhandlers,” reads the sign.

The first sign went up Monday, Jan. 29, at the intersection of Rogers and Greenwood avenues, where panhandlers have been a frequent sight in recent years near a Walgreens store. The second sign went up at Rogers and Interstate 540, further from downtown, where panhandlers are found. Two more signs about panhandling will soon be up downtown along 5th Street at the intersections of 5th and B Street and 5th and A Street near the Garrison Pointe convenience store, another area where panhandling is frequent.

These signs of the times, explained Buchfink, were an idea that came from homeless shelter advocates and others across the city, including businesses downtown.

“We are trying to put the signs at locations where we’ve noticed panhandling the most. It is citywide. We spoke to several people and nonprofits to get an idea what to post on the signs,” Buchfink said.

“Change Helps” is also the theme of a video the city plans to release soon, he added.

People are encouraged to give their spare change to the Riverview Hope Campus,  Community Rescue Mission, Next Step Homeless Services or the Salvation Army in Fort Smith, Buchfink said.

How donations help the nonprofits

At the Riverview Hope Campus, 301 S E Street, director Chris Joannides has been busy with a Point-in-Time homeless count that was conducted by local teams Jan. 25. The numbers have not been totaled but all indications are that it will be higher than the 439 counted in a day last year.

As for panhandling, it is a common practice of those who are unhoused, but Joannides also discourages it.

“It is the exact reason we were created here. We serve three meals a day. I would tell people who panhandle to please utilize the services that are available. You can’t go hungry in Fort Smith,” Joannides said.

Back in 2018, the Fort Smith Board of Directors prohibited panhandling, but challenges from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Arkansas Municipal League led to it being legalized again.

A woman in the past year has frequently panhandled at the intersection of Rogers and Garrison holding a sign asking for help because she was homeless. She told the Southwest Times Record why she panhandled.

“It’s not easy, but I manage to do it. It’s not something I like doing but it’s something I have to do to get by,” said the woman, who did not want to give her name.

The “Change Helps” campaign will urge a different use for coins than to be dropped into a bucket or left in the hands of those standing outside convenience stores or drugstores.

Buchfink said there is a bigger picture.

“We are collaborating with others so we can help people out of homelessness,” Buchfink said.

“It is about more than food and shelter. It is about helping people with addictions, with healthcare. It is about more than just giving money. We are trying to raise awareness of these organizations in Fort Smith that also need volunteers,” Buchfink said.

The signs encourage people with spare change to text “Fort” to 91999 to donate.

“100% of your donation goes to local nonprofits that serve the homeless,” the sign reads.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: New Fort Smith signs ask donors to support nonprofits, not panhandlers