A FORUM FOR COMMUNITY ISSUES : Platform : The Panhandled

SHERMAN LIEBO, Contractor, Santa Monica.

Giving out dollar bills--I do that every day, but that’s not really helping. And so many of the people living on the streets are mentally deranged, so how can you help them? The complexity of the issue means that even though you want to help, you let it slide. That’s what I have done.

I’ve bought people groceries. I’ve given out anything from $1 to $20. The $20 I gave to a woman I passed one night, a poor little creature sort of lurking in a parking lot. She seemed so terrified, and she ran away to a bench under a light. I gave her $20 and she seemed to know what it was, so maybe it helped her that night. But I know that giving out bucks doesn’t help much.

I don’t give to everybody. If I see them hanging out on the same corner every day, I don’t give. And I won’t give to the ones who follow you, demanding money.

But so many of them just make your heart go out to them. Like the ones who just sit there so quietly, as if they’re too beaten down to even ask. I’ve thought about taking maybe one person who is mentally able to work and getting them a place to live and a job. My own program. One person at a time. I want to do something that will really help. But I can’t figure out yet what that would be.