Nelson city council votes against bylaw prohibiting panhandling

A Nelson city councillor is calling for a more proactiveapproach to addressing panhandling after council shot down a bylaw this week prohibiting people from engagingin it.

"They [panhandlers], in many cases, don't have a home to live in, haven't been eating properly, and maybe need to be approached a little differently than with a parking ticket," said Coun. MichaelDaillywhose votetipped the result ina four to three decision.

The Downtown Nelson Street Culture Collaborative, a group of about 30 members from various sectors involved in improving homelessness, have come up with a list of recommendations to approach the problem from a different angle.

Dailly believes that applying these recommendations to address issues of mental health and homelessness could help to improve public safety and the ways panhandlers access services.

"Having a bylaw and moving people along and creating more prohibition to panhandling would increase the aggressiveness of panhandlers not reduce it," he said.

"There's a better way, a more proactive, positive approach that could be taken and that's what this group wanted to work on."

Funding helps with new approach

Funding from the federal government forhomelessness prevention has allowed the city to hire a street outreach worker, said Dailly, who is hopingthe devotion ofmore frontline resources will have an impact.

In the most recent count, the city found 90 people were homeless or precariously housed.

The bylaw would have used provisions in the provincial Safe Streets Act that prohibitpanhandlers from blocking pedestrians, touching a person, pursuing a person after a negative response is given, operating within five metres of an ATM, payphone or public washroom, obstructing traffic, approaching in groups of two or more and panhandling to citizens parked or stopped at an intersection in their cars.

Nelson's bylaw would have also expanded the areas where panhandling is restricted to include five metres from a financial institution, bus stop or shelter, liquor store, movie theatre orsidewalk cafe.

It would have prohibited panhandling after sunset orfor more than one hour in one place within a four-hour period.