Panhandlers now line NY city streets

New York City has a rising homeless population; it is up nearly 18 percent since 2011. Panhandlers now line city streets, including in Union Square. "I was married, had a wife, house, car, the whole nine yards, middle class," Paul Santo said, "and lost everything."

Santo said he now lives just off 14th Street. Every day he puts up a sign asking for cash. "I've got appointments to try and better my life," he said. "Just getting on a train is $2.25." Amy Moreno, a panhandler, said: "I ask for donations. I want to rent a room to get off the street before winter."

Moreno said she sleeps in Union Square twice a week. The other nights, she stays with friends. She makes bracelets for those who give her donations. "It goes towards the beads, it goes towards my daily food intake," she said.

Patrick Markee, of the Coalition for the Homeless, said: "A lot of times those folks are a couple of paychecks away from becoming homeless. You might see people panhandling who are still in a precarious housing situation, they might just need those few extra dollars to get by." Read more >>