Public urged to make use of begging boxes
02/12/11
Aberdeen Community Safety Partnership is encouraging members of the public to make use of "begging boxes" situated throughout the city centre in an effort to reduce street begging.
The multi-agency group is working to assist those involved in street begging in Aberdeen in an attempt to divert them towards the housing, benefits and employment services that are available.
Representatives from Aberdeen City Council, Bethany Christian Trust, the BID Group and Grampian Police have teamed together to help those who are genuinely in need of assistance to get their lives back on track.
Councillor Martin Greig, chairman of Aberdeen Community Safety Partnership said:"Begging is an unpleasant and degrading activity and unfortunately most beggars are doing so out of choice.
"The activity provides a fairly reliable source of income because donors take pity on those who appear down on their luck. It is extremely worrying that so many people are using this as an easy option to make money.
"Sadly income from begging is overwhelmingly used to pay for drugs and alcohol habits. Those who are handing over their money are probably not aware that this is the purpose of begging. Most people want to help with the basics of food, clothing and shelter.
"Aberdonians are generous and always want to help those who are in desperate conditions. However, donations have to be very carefully targeted if they are to reach those who are genuinely in need.
"Giving to beggars directly is counter productive and unhelpful. To make a real difference, money has to go to reputable charities. Anyone who wants to give support can use the option of putting their donation into the begging boxes.
"This system was put in place to channel funding to good causes which help those who are less fortunate. Giving to the boxes is a guaranteed way of assisting the needy. The truly excellent work of Aberdeen charities has been supported by money collected through the begging box scheme. This is a very good means of giving a hand up to the needy."
Aberdeen City Council Community Safety Manager Neil Carnegie said: "Ultimately we would like to get beggars off the street and help those in genuine need secure a more sustainable future. The scheme also aims to encourage people to think about giving directly to recognised charities by donating through the begging box scheme.
"It is great to see people embracing the scheme and I can assure them that the money being collected is being put to good use."
Members of the public donated £815.65 between March and September through the Begging Box scheme. The money has since been divided equally between the St Vincent De Paul Society, the Bethany Christian Trust and Aberdeen City Mission, although the latter two have since amalgamated under the Bethany Christian Trust title.
Andrew Murray, manager of the Bethany Christian Trust, said: "We are delighted to receive this donation from the Safer Aberdeen begging boxes. This will be a huge help in our ongoing work to relieve the suffering and meet the long term needs of homeless and vulnerable people.
"We will use the money to continue our work at the Kings Community Project, King Street on Wednesdays. The project seeks to offer resettlement support, healthcare, work and training opportunities, advice and information and positive social networks for people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. The money will also help us purchase IT equipment and training materials to provide life skills courses that will help homeless and vulnerable people to access training and ultimately employment.The donations from the begging boxes are making a real difference to the lives of vulnerable people in Aberdeen and we are grateful to everyone who contributed to this scheme."
"Bethany Christian Trust is always looking for new and innovative ways to engage with homeless and vulnerable people.
"The street engagement work is part of our wider work which seeks to reach out to rough sleepers. We seek to engage with those involved in street begging to make them aware of the Winter Care Shelter, our drop-ins on Wednesday mornings and Friday evenings, and a range of other services around the city. We welcome partnership working with Aberdeen City Council, Grampian Police and a wide range of other voluntary and statutory organizations.
"Bethany Christian Trust commissioned by Aberdeen City Council will be operating a Winter Care Shelter from 19th December 2011 -26th February 2012. The aim of the shelter is to provide safe and secure overnight accommodation and a hot meal for anyone who is sleeping rough in the city, and help to secure more permanent accommodation and to support each individual to engage with other appropriate services."
Inspector Gordon McDonald, from the city centre local policing team, said: "We recognise that there are genuine homelessness issues in the city andthat individuals in such a position often have unmet social and other needs which can lead to offending behaviour.
"It has become clear through our engagement process, however, that the majority of individuals who are involved in street begging do not suffer from any of these social issues and that is something which the public should be aware of.
"Forceful or aggressive begging can be a cause of concern to the public in the city centre, particularly during the busy festive period.
"Officers will tackle any such issues and reassure the public with a high visibility presence. With the assistance of our partner agencies street beggars will be provided access to agencies and advice that will them help them make positive changes in their life".
Begging boxes are located at;
- Academy Centre - Belmont Street
- Indoor Market – Union Street Entrance
- The Mall – Guild Street
- The Mall – Bridge Street