To give money to the homeless or to not give money to the homeless? Itâ��s an age-old quandary that an Oregon nonprofit may have solved.
Sanctity of Hope, a Portland organization, has invented a new currency for homeless people. Donors buy tokens from the nonprofit, dole them out to people living on the streets and they can then be exchanged at stores for food and other goods they might need, according to KATU.
This innovative system allows do-gooders the opportunity to give to the homeless, without worrying how they will spend the cash, and it also pushes panhandlers to spend their â��moneyâ�� wisely.
It's a model that would let donors breathe easy, especially considering stories we've seen lately about some less-than-honest panhandlers.
The people of Lexington, Ky., for example, were horrified last month when they learned that Gary Thompson, a beggar who had been getting around in a wheelchair and speaking with a slurred speech, was neither homeless, nor disabled, LEX18 reported. The story became even more disturbing when Thompson revealed to reporters that he earns about $100,000 a year.
Sanctity of Hopeâ��s token system could potentially reduce such scams.
â��We choose to donate money based on the level of perceived need,â�� Derek Thompson wrote in the Atlantic in 2011. â��Beggars known this, so there is an incentive on their part to exaggerate their need, by either lying about their circumstances or letting their appearance visibly deteriorate rather than seek help.â��