Panhandling Discussions To Continue As Supervisors Defer Proposal
WOODBRIDGE, VA — Discussions are continuing on how to address panhandling in Prince William County as the Board of County Supervisors deferred action on a funding proposal.
In February, the Board of County Supervisors had approved a directive from Supervisor Yesli Vega (R-Coles) to explore ordinance amendments addressing panhandling and public safety. The directive asked the county attorney’s office to review options and other Virginia localities’ ordinances to provide policy recommendations. As Inside Nova previously reported, Sudley Road in Manassas has been a particular area of concern for panhandling. Panhandling is not illegal due to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that panhandling is First Amendment protected.
Vega had also proposed an ordinance in June to regulate panhandling in traffic lanes while not violating First Amendment rights of panhandlers. Vega said in a letter to constituents that Supervisor Bob Weir (R-Gainesville) proposed a similar ordinance in August.
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Since the February directive, County Executive Chris Shorter created a Process Action Team that identified three main concerns with panhandling: public safety (including traffic safety, aggressive behavior and loitering), providing needed services (including homeless, mental health, substance abuse and employment services) and addressing negative perceptions. The team came up with three recommended strategies: a coordinated community safety response, public engagement and communication and pilot employment program with Keep Prince William Beautiful for litter control.
Tuesday’s board item was considering $550,000 to start implementing those three strategies.
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“What we did was establish a process action team to take a look at this, to see what other jurisdictions were doing around this issue, what were some of the best practices for some of the things that’s worked in other parts, not only in Virginia, but around the country…to try to reduce panhandling,” said Elijah Johnson, a deputy county executive. “We’re not saying we’re going to eliminate panhandling. I would be remiss to say that, but we want to implement things that are making an impact to start to address the issues, which would include some accountability things.”
Several supervisors noted that the response did not meet Vega’s original directive. Vega said she was “baffled over” some of the proposals brought to the board.
“I was very clear and I was very direct in the directive that I issued,” said Vega. “And the directive said that I direct the county attorney’s office to draft language for a defined ordinance which prohibits the exchange of objects in the right of way to present to this board for consideration. It was supported unanimously by all of my colleagues.”
Vega noted “the intent” behind the proposal is good, but “it’s not ready for prime time.”
“I think that if we come together collectively, we can put forth something that’s going to be meaningful and that is actually going to address the goal from the very beginning, so we can be compassionate while, in my opinion, enacting common sense policies,” said Vega.
Chair Deshundra Jefferson (D-at large) agreed that the proposal wasn’t meeting the directive.
“For me, that’s okay. I want to attack this problem on multiple fronts,” said Jefferson. “I do want to eventually get back to Supervisor Vega’s directive. But this is a real issue, and there are so many reasons why we’ve come to this problem. There’s not one thing that’s driving this.”
“I think we need to start somewhere, because it’s getting worse,” said Supervisor Andrea Bailey (D-Potomac). “People are suffering, people are hungry, people are trying to figure out how they can survive.”
Supervisor Margaret Franklin (D-Woodbridge) sought to defer the proposal to give time to the newly-formed county Community Safety Initiative to make recommendations.
“It just got set up. They’ve had a few sessions already, but I think we should go back to the drawing board and allow them to use the on-the-ground, grassroots experts that they have to really delve into this issue the same way they’re going to delve into other issues, the traffic issue, the mental health issue,” said Franklin. “We specifically talked about panhandling being part of that discussion.”
Weir said proposed ordinances to address the traffic safety side of panhandling haven’t been discussed publicly, and he intends to introduce an ordinance at the board’s Oct. 22 meeting.
Some supervisors stressed the need to get county messaging on panhandling out soon.
Supervisor Tom Gordy (R-Brentsville) suggested considering the communications part of the funding immediately, but the county executive called for time for county staff to develop it as a standalone proposal.
“If we’re going to take a multi-pronged approach to this and we’re going to be successful, I think we need to be bold, and we need to invest in making sure we get this message out broadly, quickly and effectively as a county,” said Gordy. “Otherwise we could be spending money that just dies.”
“I think at the very least, having that public facing communications piece now would do some impact,” said Supervisor Kenny Boddye (D-Occoquan). “Because every day that we don’t have something out there that’s saying, ‘hey, you guys need to stop giving directly these folks at the street corner or on the median or in the shopping center, is another day that we’re only exacerbating this problem. We’re only letting that culture become more and more entrenched.”
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