"Handouts Don't Help" signs appear around Douglas County

The "Handouts Don't Help" signs are beginning to appear around Douglas County. The signs are part of a plan to respond to the growing crisis of those experiencing homelessness. 

The county has created a homeless initiative that includes a campaign to not give money to panhandlers. 

The community is urged to instead donate to the Douglas County Community Foundation. 

The signs were approved by the Douglas County Board of Commissioners. They are being placed in high-traffic areas and also places like parks, grocery stores, corporate offices and libraries in Douglas County.

The county believes this is a solution to what they call a public safety issue. 

"If you have a baby in a median or you have somebody at a corner when people are literally traveling 55-60 mph, having a human being in traffic where they're soliciting for donations, that's not safe for the person receiving the funds or the person handing them out," said Douglas County Commissioner Abe Laydon at a previous county commissioners meeting. 

The public can donate funds to Douglas Has Heart.