Fort Worth drivers will soon see new blue signs stationed at more than two dozen key intersections across the city.
Emblazoned with the message 鈥淚t鈥檚 OK to say no to panhandlers鈥� in bold, white capital letters, the signs are part of a $55,000 pilot program meant to curb panhandling in Fort Worth. They鈥檙e intended to redirect people from donating to panhandlers at intersections and instead consider financially supporting organizations that provide 鈥渟ustainable assistance鈥� to people experiencing homelessness.
City officials , three months after the project was presented to City Council members at a . It鈥檚 part of a broader effort to improve the city鈥檚 response to homelessness, officials said in January.
The signs encourage residents to 鈥渃ontribute to the solution鈥� by visiting , where they can find information on how to help people in need. The page includes a list of Tarrant-based organizations focused on reducing homelessness, information on how to report cases of panhandling and legal statutes defining 鈥渁ggressive panhandling.鈥�
Bethany Warner, the city鈥檚 intergovernmental relations manager, said via email that staff will install the new signage at 27 intersections across the city during the next 14 weeks.
Intersections were selected using data from the , which residents can use to report panhandling and other complaints. Warner said the app recorded more than 2,000 complaints of panhandling across the city during fiscal year 2024, which was Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024.
The initiative comes as council members have placed a renewed emphasis on addressing the city鈥檚 homeless population. During an April 1 work session meeting, several council members expressed a desire to tackle what they described as 鈥渢he panhandling problem.鈥�
Council member Gyna Bivens said she believes many people who panhandle at intersections aren鈥檛 homeless. Instead, she believes there are panhandlers who target specific intersections because they know they can make a living off of the community鈥檚 generosity and desire to help those in need.
鈥淛ust because you鈥檙e giving to a panhandler doesn鈥檛 mean you鈥檙e helping a homeless person,鈥� Bivens said at the April 1 meeting. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e probably helping a business person.鈥�
In an April 14 interview, Bivens said she鈥檚 skeptical the signage campaign will do much to address panhandling. Bivens pointed to existing city signs meant to deter panhandling, such as the plain white signs that say 鈥淪oliciting from roadway prohibited鈥� at many intersections. To her, the new initiative is putting out 鈥渘ew and improved鈥� signs, but she鈥檚 not sure that it鈥檚 doing enough.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 going to make a hell of a lot of difference,鈥� Bivens said. 鈥淚 think the average person who thinks people are law-abiding will say, 鈥極h, good, that鈥檚 a good idea.鈥� But at the end of the day, if people are determined to panhandle, they鈥檙e going to do that until we do something that makes panhandling not attractive to them.鈥�
In January, council members Charlie Lauersdorf and Jared Williams expressed support for the initiative, saying that they had already implemented similar signage in their districts using their own offices鈥� funds.
Fort Worth isn鈥檛 the first city in North Texas to attempt to crack down on panhandling. In 2023, the city of Arlington rolled out a nearly identical campaign 鈥� and, earlier this year, staff reported that the signage has been successful in reducing the number of panhandlers seen at key intersections.
In 2022, Dallas officials approved . The first banned pedestrians from standing in roadway medians less than 6 feet wide or in the middle of streets without medians, and the second allowed city marshals to issue citations to people violating the first ordinance.
Bivens has another idea to deter panhandling: 鈥淭aking on the donors鈥� by issuing citations to people who donate to panhandlers. That鈥檚 a proposal she and former council member Cary Moon but weren鈥檛 successful in implementing. Now, she said, it鈥檚 time to revisit the option.
Lauersdorf voiced support for the idea during the April 1 meeting, telling his colleagues that penalizing those who donate to panhandlers gives them 鈥渁n out鈥� from feeling the need to do so. Williams also agreed.
In January, council members explored a variety of other ideas on how to address, and potentially penalize, homelessness.
Council member Macy Hill encouraged city staff, and her colleagues on council, to consider 鈥渢he balance between compassion and tolerance.鈥� She floated the idea of a 鈥渘o tolerance鈥� ordinance to crack down on homeless camping.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a human dignity issue. It鈥檚 a public safety issue. It鈥檚 a public health issue, frankly,鈥� Hill said in January. 鈥淎nd I think it鈥檚 a direct reflection on how we look at the city of Fort Worth, our values and our cultures, and we can do better, and we owe our citizens better.鈥�
The city is encouraging residents to report instances of panhandling. They can do so by submitting a report through the MyFW app; calling the Fort Worth Police Department鈥檚 nonemergency line at 817-392-4222; calling the Fort Worth Contact Center at 817-392-1234 or by simply dialing 311; or by texting 17-835-MYFW (6939).
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
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