Around the country, people working in the service industry are asking for one simple thing: to be paid a living wage.
For some, it means a small increase to just over $10.10 an hour; for others, it means joining #Fightfor15, a movement to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
But there is one gig that, apparently, doesn't need a raise: panhandling.
According to one panhandler in New York City, he can haul in as much as $200 an hour.
The panhandler, Will Andersen, tells the New York Post,
On a Friday morning, I make $400 in two hours ... I get people who give me five bucks each day. Five bucks each day, that's five days a week, two people — that's $50 a week right there. I get dog food. I put away for rent. I pay $300 a month, that's nothing.
Anderson admits having his dog with him always helps him rake in more cash. Anderson adds he will often put the money to good use to buy his dog food, rent a room for the night or pay for a good meal.
And while some beggars appear to be making good money off of panhandling, it doesn't paint a real picture of homelessness in America.
According to the State Of Homelessness In America report, 4.8 million people are still living in poverty. Over 500,000 people will experience some level of homelessness on any given night around the country.
So no, not all beggars are bringing in hundreds of dollars a day.
How should the homeless issue be handled in New York then? According to one beggar who spoke to the Post, people need to stop giving them money.
Shaunyece Darling, a panhandler in the city, says,
If you stop giving them money and help them with those other things, like blankets, clothing and food, they would definitely leave because they would know they couldn't get the money to get high or drunk.
To learn more about how to end homelessness in America, head over to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
Citations: This bum boasts he makes $200 an hour panhandling (New York Post)
