When asked yesterday how many fewer beggars we'll see on Toronto's streets a year from now as the result of the city's new $5-million panhandling plan, homeless bureaucrat Phil Brown was typically evasive. 

"I don't think in one year we're necessarily going to be able to solve the whole situation," the general manager of shelter, support and housing told council. 

"We can say safely the number of panhandlers will be less," he said of the fuzzy, feel-good plan, which will hire a fresh army of 80 social workers to counsel street beggars instead of putting in place a strict anti-panhandling bylaw on the books in 12 other Canadian cities. 

Instead, Brown wasted no time singing the praises of the "tremendously successful" Streets to Homes program, which in three years and at a cost of $8.7 million this year alone, has housed 1,750 folks -- and will now be extended to include the panhandling population. An extra $2.5 million will be spent to counsel beggars this year and $5 million for all of 2009. 


But when Coun. David Shiner -- and others -- suggested there are still far too many homeless people (and their stinky paraphernalia) parked on corners not too far from City Hall, despite the huge investment, Brown insisted there were fewer street people splayed across downtown streets and those left "are known" to city officials. 

"We're actively working to get them off the street," he said. 

Well I'll be a monkey's uncle. I distinctly remember hearing the same party line from city manager Shirley Hoy at least two years ago. 

As for the paraphernalia, which was supposed to be removed promptly if left littering the streets, council heard if "someone gets up" and leaves their belongings behind, there's "no mechanism" in place to remove said belongings -- whether parked in a TTC shelter, in the middle of the sidewalk or in a nook on Nathan Phillips Square. 

Census in 2009 

And the 1,750 homeless housed? Who knows how many are left, or what kind of pool they were drawn from, because as Brown made perfectly clear, another homeless census -- similar to the one done in 2006 -- won't be undertaken until next year, if at all. In the 2006 census, only 818 people in fact, were found to be living on the streets. 

"The numbers have gone down in terms of street homeless," he said, as if his mere say-so was more than enough to justify another costly plan. 

Mayor David Miller can boast all he wants about his Streets to Homes program. He was certainly full of himself yesterday, claiming it's "so successful" it's up for one of the "most prestigious" international awards (what he didn't say), every single penny spent on it and the panhandling extras "is worth it" and the work represents city government "at its finest." 

My point is, the only consistency I've seen with the homeless/panhandling file in the past 10 years is that city officials are downright earnest when it comes to feeding the industry each year with more money and more manpower. 

Brown himself conceded there are 635 full-time equivalents who currently work for the city on the homeless file -- which equates to more like 800 or 900 city staff. 

Some three years ago, when the mayor first got the Streets to Homes program off the ground, I sat down with Brown and was able to confirm that at least $220 million was being spent on homeless shelter beds, counselling, rent supplements, grants and other homeless programs. Heaven knows what's being spent now. 

Sadly, city officials -- led by Miller -- have never been as earnest about providing detailed measurable results. 

So I don't hold out much hope that the begging situation will improve one bit in a year or two or three. 

It's not just the obscene amount of money being poured into the problem with no targets, but the signal Socialist Silly Hall sends to the public with this plan -- namely that beggars have more rights than hardworking taxpaying citizens. 

In fact, when Coun. Joe Mihevc suggested the panhandler is as much, if not more, a "victim" than someone who "victimizes people," I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 

As Coun. Mike Del Grande so aptly put it: "This (issue) is a sacred cow ... we just provide more money ... we have no rights, no rights, no rights ... what's wrong with saying to people (beggars) they should move from a TTC shelter or a public space?"