The Ethics of Panhandling

KUER 90.1 | By Doug Fabrizio

Published November 6, 2017 at 9:00 AM MST

What do you do when a panhandler approaches you? Do you give money? Do you give food? Maybe you don’t give the person anything. Maybe you donate to a homeless services organization, or volunteer at the soup kitchen instead. But what should you do? That’s what we’re asking on Monday’s show. Our guests work closely with Utah’s homeless population, and they all agree, there are no easy answers when it comes to the ethical questions around panhandling.

GUESTS

Glenn Bailey is the executive director of Crossroads Urban Center.
Kathy Bray is president and CEO of Volunteers for America, Utah.
Matthew Melville is the homeless services director for Catholic Community Services in Utah.

Curiosities

Doug Fabrizio

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

See stories by Doug Fabrizio