Aggressive panhandling pushing city, police, businesses to find solutions

The city and stakeholders are hoping to tackle the issue of aggressive panhandlers ahead of the warm and busy months on the downtown streets of Halifax.

The issue was brought up at regional council on Tuesday during a debate on streetscaping projects for three streets, including Spring Garden Road.

WATCH: Halifax streetscaping projects get the go-ahead

Councillor Waye Mason, who represents Halifax South Downtown, says he’s noticed an increase in complaints since he was elected to council in 2012.

“Panhandling isn’t illegal so we are not going to ban panhandling. You can’t do that,” he said.

“But aggressive panhandling, loitering, following someone into a store, following someone into a private parking lot — that is illegal and that can’t happen so we’re going to have to take steps around those things.”

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Fellow panhandlers have also noticed the prevalence of aggressive behaviour.

Several times a week, Lisa Fairn will set up a seat off Spring Garden Road and collect money to buy groceries and phone cards. While she has a laid-back style, she has seen other panhandlers become aggressive.

“They go up to cars and they go up to other people, chasing them down the street, waiting for them outside the bank,” Fairn said.

“I sit here and I just mind my own business and I just keep quiet and make what I got to make.”

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Const. Shawn Currie, the community constable for Spring Garden Road, has patrolled the street for more than eight years and has come to know each of the panhandlers who frequent the area.

He says aggressive behaviour is rare, and often prevented by creating a close rapport with those who set up on the sidewalk.

“I talk to them every single day. I know their stories, they tell me all about their life, so we get to know each other a little bit that way,” Currie said.

“Every one of the panhandlers that do come out on the street are met by me or security and we explain the by-laws to them so they understand what they can and what they can’t do, where they can stand and where they’re not allowed to.”

Police, council looking for long-term solutions

To further address the issue, police have been meeting with Councillor Mason to try and find solutions to the problem.

Insp. Lindsay Hernden, the divisional commander with Halifax Regional Police, acknowledges some visitors to the area have been made to feel uncomfortable but says the solution isn’t simple.

“I think that many assume that panhandling is something that all it takes is for law enforcement to come and order someone off the street or arrest them and take them into the custody and end of story. But that simply isn’t the case,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I think that many assume that panhandling is something that all it takes is for law enforcement to come and order someone off the street or arrest them and take them into the custody and end of story. But that simply isn't the case," he said.

“What we have found in many years of experience here and in other areas of the region and with other jurisdictions, is that panhandling is something that goes to many levels of poverty, of addiction, mental health issues, all of these things play a role.”

Hernden says the issue – and the solution – is both complex and sensitive. So, police and stakeholders are trying to mitigate the problem by connecting people with appropriate resources.

“We have people who are actually destitute, who don’t have a home. We have some here that are supplementing their incomes,” Hernden said.

“What we need to do is drill a little further into the individuals themselves and what their needs are and bring in the appropriate resources to assist them — whether it’s a mental health or emotional issue, disturbance of some kind.”

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To further connect people with resources, the Spring Garden Area Business Association and the Downtown Halifax Business Commission are reviving their Navigator Street Outreach project after a months-long hiatus. They hope to hire a new coordinator within the next couple of months to run the program.

Navigator supports street-involved people in the business districts by connecting them with job opportunities, addictions services and housing agencies.

The Spring Garden Area Business Association is also planning to launch a new campaign this summer.

“People are giving money to the panhandlers and … we would like to encourage people to give elsewhere,” said executive director, Juanita Spencer.

“That’s something that the association is going to be rolling out in the next couple of months: a campaign to try and help people connect with some of the organizations that work with street-involved people.”