The signs read “Sometimes we all need a little help,” “Travelin’, broke, hungry,” and “Homeless can’t work everything helps God bless.” You can see them on many of Gainesville’s street corners where members of the city’s homeless population try to make some money. Every week a new letter to the editor at The Gainesville Sun complains of the number of people panhandling in the city. The complaints stem from the idea that those who beg just do not want the available jobs and would rather mooch off of others. The people who panhandle in Gainesville are a diverse group. Some are old and suffer from arthritis and heart trouble. There are those who find themselves on the corner due to drugs and alcohol. Others are young and choose to be homeless so that they can be free to travel the country as the please. Gainesville provides services for the homeless like food and shelter, but many dislike the environment of those places. To them the $15 a day they can make on the side of the street seems like a better alternative.