I-Team: Panhandling Investigation

HADLEY, Mass. (WWLP) - You see them out there carrying signs asking for help, but how do you know your money is really helping a person in need.

You the viewers asked us to take a closer look at panhandlers to see if your donations are going to those in need.

We've been investigating for 2 months now and found some panhandlers appear to have nothing, while others have things like cell phones and cars.

We've all been there.

You stop at a red light and find yourself face-to-face with a person holding a sign asking for your help, at times, in miserable conditions but are your donations actually helping someone in need or homeless?

Over a two month investigation the 22News I-Team took notice of some of the panhandlers in our area to find out.

We found some will offer up answers to our questions easily.

For example, we asked three people, whose signs claimed they were veterans, when they served.

Two answered without hesitation, others ran away.

One man in Hadley quickly ditched his post and caught a bus to avoid our questions, we followed, but he kept running.

Then we found another man in Hadley whose sign reads, "a poor lowly begger with brain trauma."

When we approached him with cameras to ask him about it, he also took off.

"I'll call the police, get away from me," he said.

He pulled out a cell phone to show us he was making a call.

We kept watching him, until one day we saw him getting ready to drive off in a car.

I approached him again, this time while he was busy counting a wad of money, but when he saw me, he took off, remember he claims to be poor with brain trauma.

While the definition of homelessness varies, the center for problem-oriented policing reports that most panhandlers aren't sleeping on the streets and some panhandlers we talked to said some of their counterparts aren't in as much need as their signs say.

"People see others getting help and they say, 'well I can do that,' and they park their nice cars here and it's wrong to do that," Billy in Holyoke said.

While others assure not all panhandlers are the same.

"Not everyone out here is on drugs or alcohol, it's just very hard out here especially with the economy," said Malina Lynch, Northampton.

We showed Friends of the Homeless Executive Director Bill Miller pictures of some of the panhandlers we saw.

One of them, not shown or mentioned in this story, was apparently sent away from the shelter after they were caught doing drugs, violating shelter rules.

It's a scenario he wants generous donors to keep in mind.

"Let's be clear, you may be supporting a drug habit. But, frankly, that's how some people live, you know. They'll live and they'll die that way so just understand that could be what you're giving to," Miller said. "If people are thinking they're giving to help homelessness, I'd have to say you're not."

Miller says it's important to note, no one out there is making a ton of money and ARE likely in need of some form of help.   

However, he says if you want to know you're supporting the homeless, give to an organization.