Giving meal coupons to beggars
Adapted from the Weekly World News and the National Enquirer (USA), both monitored for the Institute by Roger Knights; and from the Independent.
'The whole idea was to separate the hungry from the hustler'
An alternative to giving beggars in the streets cash could be to give them food vouchers or Luncheon Vouchers. The American equivalents include a project run by the Emergency Aid Resource Center for the Homeless in Houston, Texas. This sells coupons for a free meal - in $10 booklets of 10 coupons, which are purchased by 'good samaritans'. 'The whole idea was to separate the hungry from the hustler, the needy from the greedy,' said Maxene Johnston, president of a Los Angeles organisation which has operated a coupon programme since 1989.
Berkeley, California, has a similar programme which has successfully discouraged people from begging for money to spend on alcohol and drugs. Beggars can redeem vouchers, which are sold for 25 cents each at a dozen stores, at any of 30 businesses offering food, laundry services, bus fares and even hot showers. Of 20,000 vouchers printed so far, about 10,000 have been sold and 2,700 have been redeemed.
Charity coupons
A letter writer to the Times, Robin Williamson, has suggested a slight variant of the above - that UK charities working with the homeless get together to offer 'charity vouchers'. People would buy a book (L1 vouchers in books of five or ten). Each voucher could then be exchanged for food or practical help at any of the charities taking part, with addresses and perhaps a free helpline telephone number printed on the ticket. The further advantage would be that when a voucher is exchanged the charities can offer counselling as well as sustenance.
Robin Williamson, Greenaway, London Road, Balcombe, Haywards Heath, West Sussex.
Editorial comment
The snag in practice (compared with a food coupon or Luncheon Voucher idea, which gives access to a wide variety of businesses) might be the understandable unwillingness of charitable organisations to turn away those without vouchers.
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