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Fairfax County officials are promising a broader effort to connect panhandlers with housing, health care and other services after a new study found many were unaware that help was available.
“We want to drive people who have need to organizations that can help,” Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay said during a Feb. 10 meeting of the board’s Health and Human Services Committee.
The 62-page Urban Institute report examined why people panhandle and the challenges they face. Researchers surveyed 40 people across Fairfax County during a five-month period last year, with six participating in more extensive interviews.
The county commissioned the study in 2023 after years of debate about discouraging people from soliciting or donating money in roadway medians.
About one-third of respondents expressed interest in outreach services. However, many did not know what resources were available, said Pear Moraras, who led the research with Paola Echave.
Echave said most interviewees viewed panhandling not as a voluntary choice but as a necessity created by their circumstances. Many had worked for most of their lives before injuries, health problems, job losses or other sudden changes pushed them toward asking strangers for money.
For many participants, speaking with the researchers marked the first time anyone had approached them on the street to offer assistance, Echave said.
Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk praised the report for humanizing people who often face complex social and physical challenges.
County plans new connections to services
The report recommends more multilingual outreach explaining how panhandlers can obtain housing, health care and other support.
Tom Barnett, deputy director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, acknowledged that navigating assistance systems can be difficult. He said the agency has issued new contracts with service providers to complement existing outreach and create additional referral pathways.
County Executive Bryan Hill also agreed that Fairfax County should take a more expansive approach.
McKay said the findings were useful but contained few surprises. Although safety-net organizations have increased outreach to panhandlers in recent years, he said those efforts have not produced a measurable difference.
Researchers identified 95 panhandling hotspots across the county. Most were concentrated in the Mount Vernon District, with 27; Franconia, with 18; and Providence, with 10. The survey included people from every magisterial district.
Many participants said they had panhandled for more than a year. About half reported collecting $50 or less per day, roughly one-third received between $51 and $100, and the remainder made more. Most described panhandling as their only income source.
Safety and legal limits complicate response
Several supervisors warned that standing in or near traffic puts panhandlers and motorists at risk. Multiple people have been killed over the years.
“The dangerous, risky behaviors are something we have all seen,” Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck said.
Storck acknowledged that some panhandlers may reject assistance, but said others could accept it if the county improves its outreach. He also noted growing frustration among residents.
Fairfax County and many social-service organizations discourage handing money directly to panhandlers, arguing that directing people to county resources offers a better chance of securing sustainable, long-term help.
But officials have limited power to stop panhandling. Courts have repeatedly found that asking for money is protected by the First Amendment, and the county says solicitation in public spaces—including roadway medians—is not itself illegal.
That has left Fairfax County in a decades-long stalemate between safety concerns, community frustration and constitutional protections.
“Everyone’s goal here would be trying to end this,” McKay said, while conceding that a workable middle ground remains elusive.