Silver Spring officials say there has been an increase in the number of panhandlers in the downtown area, but they don’t have specific data to say how large the increase may be.
On Monday, Reemberto Rodriguez, director of the Silver Spring Regional Services Center, said during a County Council committee meeting he has seen and heard anecdotally that more panhandlers are begging for money outside the county parking garages as well as near the Chick-fil-A on Fenton Street.
Capt. Marcus Jones, commander of the 3rd District Station in Silver Spring, said officers have received complaints from residents about panhandling, but the officers are limited in how they can respond. He said police can only cite aggressive panhandlers—those who make threats—and that it’s not illegal to beg for money.
Rodriguez said an increase in foot traffic and population in the downtown area in recent years may be attracting more panhandlers.
“In the last few years the number of feet on the street has skyrocketed,” Rodriguez said. “There are simply more people walking around.” He said the increase in people shopping, eating out and attending other activities in the area provides more opportunities for panhandlers to make money.
Rodriguez and Jones were joined by Montgomery County Public Libraries Director Parker Hamilton and Uma Ahluwalia, director of the county’s Department of Health and Human Services, to discuss a possible increase in the number of homeless people in downtown Silver Spring. However, the officials said there hasn’t been a major increase in that population.
Hamilton said the Silver Spring Library on Wayne Avenue has attracted homeless individuals, but added that they haven’t caused problems.
“Do we have homeless people in the library? Yes, we do,” Hamilton said. “Are they more disruptive than other customers? No. As long as you’re following policies and procedures, we welcome you.”
Hamilton said the library department has a history of serving the homeless, especially at its urban locations in Bethesda, Rockville and Silver Spring. She also said the Silver Spring library’s central location has made it more accessible to the local homeless population. She said the library has started working with Interfaith Works, a Rockville nonprofit serving the poor and homeless, which occasionally sends a staff member to the library to attempt to help people who may be in need.
Council member George Leventhal, who chairs the Health and Human Services committee, said he recently received a complaint about poor behavior by a possibly homeless person inside the library, but he didn’t witness any problems when he visited over the weekend. However, he encouraged the local leaders to keep data and regularly communicate about the local homeless and panhandling populations so they can help connect needy individuals with county resources.
“It’s not Montgomery County’s goal to criminalize poverty or homelessness,” Leventhal said.
