Sioux Falls has a panhandler problem, and the city is taking steps to crack down on it.

The homeless population is growing in Sioux Falls, look around, you see it in many corners of the city, with numerous people asking for help.

Dakota News Now is reporting that Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken and Police Chief Jon Thum held a press conference on Thursday, (August 8) to address the issue of panhandling in Sioux Falls, in particular, the downtown region of the city.

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In the press conference, TenHaken said, “85 percent of people who are struggling with homelessness in our community want to get out of that cycle. They want help. They need help, and we have incredible partners that are doing great work. But we have 15 percent that, they don’t want help. They don’t want to get better. They want to take advantage of our community.”

Many of the panhandlers you see on Sioux Falls streets receive money each day thanks to the kind-hearted, good-natured residents of the Sioux Empire. These various acts of kindness speak volumes about the caliber of people who live here in the Sioux Falls area.

The city's move to get a better grasp on the panhandler problem is not a push to curb generosity or the need for caring, but instead, a movement to channel resources and efforts in a better direction.

As Dakota News Now reports, if your heart calls you to give money to those in need, TenHaken and Thum request that you stop giving it directly to panhandlers, and instead, give your donations to the organizations that work each day to help the homeless population in our community.

TenHaken told Dakota News Now, "The city continues to do incredible work with Union Gospel Mission, and The Banquet, and Bishop Dudley, and all of our partners that are helping those that are struggling. But we also have some tough love, and some difficult conversations with that 15 percent that are causing a lot of challenges in this town right now."

According to Dakota News Now, often the money given to some of the panhandlers continues to further their homeless lifestyle. A number of these people take the money given to them to buy cheap alcohol, which feeds into their cycle of addiction.

As TenHaken mentioned in his press conference, the city and its partners are ready to step up, but only if people want help.

Both men echoed a unified message on Thursday, a call for Sioux Falls residents to stop giving money directly to those on the side of the road, and instead focus your money and resources on local organizations that are trained to help those in the community who need help breaking free from the cycle of homelessness.

Source: Dakota News Now