MILFORD, Del.- City Council has approved a new pedestrian safety ordinance aimed at addressing panhandling and loitering in town, particularly near roads. The ordinance, passed on Monday night, prohibits people from standing on a median within 200 feet of a city intersection, unless they are crossing the street.
Council members spent several months discussing how to address the issue of panhandling and loitering in town. The new ordinance was approved with only one council member voting against it.
Vice Mayor Jason James Sr. sees the new ordinance as having a broader impact than just curbing panhandling.
"I know that some people think it's just to get panhandlers, but really it's for the safety of those individuals and motorists because if you are in the median and a car is turning in, you can nearly hit them," James said. "We actually have an EMT individual on our council who has seen the results of people getting hit in intersections."
However, not everyone is convinced that imposing fines will be effective. Elsie Deputy, a Milford resident of 20 years, worries about what will happen to those who cannot afford to pay them.
"They are not going to have the money to pay anyway. What are you going to do? Put them in jail if they can't pay the fine?" Deputy said.
According to Vice Mayor James, each encounter will be handled on a case-by-case basis, and law enforcement officials will have discretion on whether to coach, advise, or fine the individual.
Meanwhile, Deputy believes the city should invest more in having resources to help the homeless population, rather than just chasing them away.
"If they would invest more time in having places for people to stay - and we have the food bank - then we wouldn't have so many at intersections trying to panhandle," Deputy said.
A Milford resident who has been homeless for two years agrees that resources should be directed towards helping homeless individuals instead of discouraging them.
"We are also human beings. Yes, we don't have a house. Yes, we don't have anything, but we are also human beings. Everyone wants to keep nitpicking at us and everything, but don't want to help us. There are no opportunities with housing. Nobody wants to help with jobs," the homeless individual said.
She tells WBOC others have already faced consequences.
Milford's new ordinance is modeled after several others in Delaware, such as a law adopted in Seaford last year. Though, tackling the issue of panhandling is a complex one with no easy solutions.