VILNIUS - There are arguably no more beggars in Vilnius than in any other European capital. But on Oct. 17, Vilnius City Council voted for a radical solution to what they think is an eyesore on the city's picturesque streets. A 2,000 litas ($500) fine is to be imposed on anyone caught begging in high profile areas of the city center.
For those who cannot pay the fine, the police will be issued orders to take the beggars to the Social Services Center in Vilnius, where they can receive support. The move will not affect buskers, who, it is argued, play music and do not actively solicit money from passers-by.
"This is to ensure the safety of citizens and clean up the image of the city," said Darius Saluga, a Vilnius municipality official.
The Social Services Center is preparing for an increase in the number of tramps it has to care for. "We've been making arrangements to see these people and helping them out. The police will be issued new orders regarding the new regulations sometime this week to bring the beggars in if they cannot pay the fine," said Saluga.
Elvira Baltutyte, a legal adviser for the Human Rights Center, an independent non-governmental organization, does not believe that this in any way violates the beggars' rights. While expressing concern that each should be taken care of on a personal basis, she believes there is sufficient accommodation for the homeless.
"Several years ago there really wasn't anywhere for them to stay or to eat. Now it's a different story," Baltutyte explains.
She believes that although the social benefits are not high, they are in place and available to beggars and the needy.
"We already spend a lot of time going out to talk to these people and suggest different types of support - food, clothes, medical services, shelters," said Zilvinas Abaravicius, a social worker at the Social Services Center in Vilnius.
Charity organizations, such as certain Christian and Hare Krishna groups, dish out hot food. "There are plenty of places for them to eat," Abaravicius said.
There are two shelters for the homeless in Vilnius, one near the center of town that can take up to 40 people at a time, and another that can accept 100.
Homeless people can stay up to six months at the shelter in the center, paying 18.75 litas a month. The first month is free. Another 40 can be accommodated in this way in the larger center, and there is room for 60 on a day-to-day basis.
However, according to Abaravicius, the homeless generally prefer to sleep underground in the city's hot-water piping system instead of these shelters.
There is no denying that many Vilnius residents are fed up with being asked for spare change. But somehow, according to Saluga, money does change hands. "Beggars in the better parts of town get more than 100 litas a day," he complains.
"Some of these beggars make more money than me," is a familiar refrain among the people of Vilnius, whose ideas about the amounts they "earn" is influenced by inflammatory media reports.
According to the Lithuanian media, there is a web of collusion, a quasi-mafia, in which certain parts of the streets are reserved. Some of the cash made goes to "beggar pimps" who oversee activities and delegate responsibilities.
