Jun 9, 2009 7:38 pm US/Eastern
Miami Proves More Generous Than Expected
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Miami people are not so rude and self-absorbed after all. In fact, a new survey suggests that South Floridians are actually very thoughtful and generous.
The Homeless Trust Agency commissioned Zogby International to conduct a survey of Miami-Dade residents, and the results are surprising. It shows that 80 percent of the people of Dade County gave money to homeless people. Zogby International says that spare change adds up to more than $40 million a year for those on the street.
"That $40 million plus of ineffective giving is not going to further reduce our homeless problem in Miami-Dade county," said Ron Book, Chairman of the Homeless Trust Agency. Book said most of the spare change Miamians are giving goes to support drug and alcohol addictions. This pricy habit eats away at the daily return of begging on the street. Book said one panhandler can make anywhere from $500 to $700 a day.
"That's not true ma'am," Darrell Wright told CBS4 News reporter Tiffani Helberg. Wright said he lives on the street and begs for change. On good days, Wright said he can pull in $300. But that's not consistent enough to support housing payments.
"I don't get that money like that all the time," he said.
Book said all the money given to people like Wright would be better spent funneling through homeless assistance agencies. He said since Miami-Dade started its plan to end homelessness 16 years ago, the county has reduced the number of people living on the streets from 8,000 to 974.
"We want people to stop putting money in cups and buckets and hats; it does no good," said Book. "We want to drive those people into our programs."
Some of those who give, however, say they will continue to donate to panhandlers. "Some of them actually really need it," said Joseph White, a donor. "I don't trust the agencies; they take the money for themselves as well."
Book insists that's not the case. He says the Homeless Trust Agency has a three percent overhead and a very frugal director.
In the next couple of months, the Homeless Trust said it will release a plan to direct some of the goodwill into programs that benefit the homeless. One idea the Trust is thinking of modeling has shown success in cities such as Dallas. These locations use meters across the city to collect loose change and avert donors from dropping it into the hands of panhandlers.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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