You might be asking yourself, “What kind of person becomes a panhandler?” All kinds of people panhandle, should the situation require it. I’ve met teenage panhandlers, mentally ill panhandlers, middle aged panhandlers, women panhandlers, and elderly panhandlers.
Wait – what was that? Elderly panhandlers? Why would an elderly person be out panhandling?
There are a few reasons an elderly person might be panhandling. A recent change.org article described a woman who is 87 years old and was homeless for the first time in her life. The story behind her state lies in rent control and renovation. She had lived in the same apartment for more than thirty years. When the apartment complex underwent renovations, rent went from $750 a month to $2400 a month. The increase was more than she could handle, the landlord evicted her, and she, not knowing her rights, became effectively homeless. Someone in this situation might have no choice but to panhandle.
Another unfortunately common situation is when an elderly person is taken advantage of. Unfortunately, there are people out there who take advantage of those who are elderly or disabled. I met a blind elderly woman several years back whose daughter-in-law had taken advantage of. While she believed her family member was helping her with food, in reality she was being cleaned out. Thus, she wound up homeless and panhandling at a bus stop.
Sure, drugs and alcohol can lead someone to a life on the street begging for spare change, but it’s important to check assumptions about panhandlers. While sometimes they may be true, in reality, it is important to understand that just like everyone else, there is a great variety in individual situations. We hope to tell some of these stories through the photos and interviews that will be included in our book.
About Ronda Bowen
Hello there, and welcome to my page! I have been working as a full-time freelance writer and editor since 2008 when I decided that while I rather enjoyed philosophy, the Ph.D. program I was in was not a good fit for my life goals. Since then, I have published many papers and articles, started two blogs, worked as a senior editor for a magazine, served on the board of a start-up non-profit organization, and walked across fire.
I strongly believe that it is important to work to make the world a better place – one project at a time. I’ve worked with Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program to construct living quarters for those in need, written content for Stonewall Alliance, and edited the newsletter for my local natural foods cooperative. One of the blogs I founded, Activism My Way is dedicated to helping people get involved with causes they feel passionate about.
Although my academic background is in philosophy and social and political theory, my heart has always been in writing fiction and poetry. I have a novel in progress, and I am working on putting together a collection of short stories to share with readers. I also worked as part of a creative team on a project with a hip hop artist that involved world-building and creating an amazing back story to a concept album. I have worked with several authors to edit their novels (as well as dissertations, children’s books, journal articles, and non-fiction projects).
Non-fiction topics I have written about include pop culture and philosophy, project management, business startups and management, insurance, technology, and much more. I also have created web content for a wide variety of clients (ranging from gas station owners to hotels to lawyers), and I’ve had an opportunity to interview some amazing people (Michele May, Kevin Sorbo, Barbara Taylor Bradford, and Mark Victor Hansen to name only a few). Needless to say, I love what I do.
I enjoy photography, and my subjects these days are usually my children as well as food, beverages, craft projects, and other such things for my blog, Wining Wife™. My favorite subjects are landscapes, nature (particularly clouds, flowers, and trees), and architecture.
Chicago Panhandler Project 