What Would Suzie Do?
- Tim Jackson
- Jul 23
- 3 min read
It happened again yesterday morning.
I’d just left the post office, started my car, and was about to pull out of my parking spot. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a man walking towards me with a sense of urgency. By his appearance, I intuitively knew he was among my community’s growing number of panhandlers. He caught my eye and started to make his appeal. I preempted him, shaking my head “no,” and I pulled away.
My county (Prince William County, Virginia) is among the 50 wealthiest counties in America, yet I see panhandlers at road intersections or in front of convenience stores almost every day. When I moved here 22 years ago, I rarely encountered any.
The brief encounter described above bothered me the rest of the day. It was unusual only in that I was compelled to acknowledge and respond to the man approaching me. He cursed me out as well, something I’d never experienced! Most times, panhandlers are less direct, and I can politely decline or just ignore them. Regardless, my actions don’t seem right. Like most people, I don’t just want panhandlers to go away; I want them to get the help they need and resume a normal, flourishing life. I feel like I should do something to help them. But what?
If I give them money, they’ll probably use it to buy alcohol or drugs. Instead, giving them a grocery store gift card seems better, but that has its downsides as well.
Alternatively, a friend once suggested carrying a sandwich and bottle of water to give in lieu of money. I guess that’s at least something, but sandwiches have a short shelf life and encounters are unpredictable. Besides, the act seems trivial and a bit condescending.
In researching this article, I learned that my county government started to address the growing problem of panhandling more than a year ago. Panhandling in public spaces is legal; it’s protected by the First Amendment. I also learned that people who give handouts to panhandlers are part of the problem!
In December 2024, my county government initiated a campaign to “change the behavior of givers, so that instead of giving directly to the panhandler they give to local homeless services community partners… (and) panhandlers can get the services they need to address the root cause of the panhandling.” The county government also established a separate website titled “Panhandling” with the theme: Handouts Don’t Help, Give Where it Counts.
Not all panhandlers are homeless, and not all homeless are panhandlers, but the correlation is self-evident. The vast majority of those I see begging at road intersections or in front of convenience stores are doing so due to underlying causes such as homelessness, mental health issues, substance abuse and joblessness.
Enter Homeward Bound of Steubenville. Their two-fold strategy of low-barrier transitional housing and fellowship seems novel and ambitious, but it also seems like an approach that can have a long term, life-changing effect on those it seeks to help. I especially like this excerpt from their vision statement:
Individuals experiencing homelessness are best served by local, fully integrated, and personalized services. In providing low-barrier transitional housing and compassionate fellowship, we aim not only to fill a current gap in local services but also to unite the various organizations for the benefit of our clients. …We envision a Steubenville where people flourish, both by receiving compassionate help, and by helping others.
The title of this article is, “What Would Suzie Do?” Well, my daughter, Suzie Jackson, has already done it: she founded Homeward Bound of Steubenville. I hope you’ll be motivated to join her with your time and talent, or financially support her, or both!
Tim Jackson served in the Marine Corps from 1982 to 2006. He lives in Manassas,
Virginia.
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