Attacking Poverty -- Vagrants Vs. Truly Homeless

We support John Carlson's July 19 column in The Times concerning the difference between beggars who are vagrants and the truly homeless who are looking for a job.

Carlson describes a "celebrity" beggar who was been panhandling in downtown Seattle and has been charged with violating the city's new law "banning people from using city sidewalks as lounge chairs during the workday." A well-dressed man drove up and took the beggar to the courthouse where he paid the beggar's fine. Then Carlson paints a picture of a 40-year-old divorced father of two who is trying to find work. The man, because of circumstances beyond his control, wound up in shelters, but does not beg. Instead, he is continually looking for work and is able to keep up a neat appearance, despite his economic hardship.

The problem, said Carlson, is that the homeless man with good intentions is tossed into the same category as the beggar, who has made no attempt to change his circumstances. Instead someone, with probably good intentions, enabled the beggar to continue his lifestyle by paying his fine for breaking the law.

We recommend that citizens work to discern the difference between beggars and the homeless. One is a vagrant, not willing to work or to change his or her lifestyle and most likely is addicted to drugs or alcohol. The other is someone who wants to change their circumstance and is willing to admit responsibility for their behavior and has made a commitment to turn life around. How do we know? More than 70 percent of our staff at our Men's Shelter are former street people and tell us that this is true.

Thanks for helping set the record straight. Rev. Herb Pfiffner, Executive Director, Union Gospel Mission Seattle