Mayor Sylvester Turner wants Houstonians to "redirect" their charitable giving away from panhandlers toward the organization that coordinates the region's effort to house people in need, he said Monday flanked by dozens of faith leaders backing his campaign for "Meaningful Change - Not Spare Change."

Turner launched the campaign against giving to panhandlers as one prong of his plan to further reduce homelessness in the Houston area, which has dropped nearly 60 percent in the past five years even as City Council members say they are hearing more complaints about aggressive panhandling across the city.

The city encourages residents not to give money to panhandlers - who may or may not be homeless, and some of whom may be part of organized panhandling rings. Instead, Turner encouraged all to donate to The Way Home campaign via www.MeaningfulChange.org.

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Giving to panhandlers is not outlawed or punishable, just discouraged. However, the city does plan to step up enforcement of existing and new ordinances against aggressive panhandling or blocking streets.

Turner joined with council members and religious leaders Monday morning at the Midtown headquarters of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston to unveil a billboard touting the campaign. Awareness-raising efforts will include a billboard campaign, radio ads and social media.

"This is not a campaign that we're waging against the homeless," Turner said emphatically. "This is a campaign to assist people to leave homelessness."

Faith leaders shepherded into the photo op seemed to endorse the campaign, chanting, "Meaningful change, not spare change."

Turner's pitch might sound familiar to longtime Houstonians. In 2006, then-Mayor Bill White appeared in radio ads to discourage giving to panhandlers. "Help them with real change, not spare change," White said on the ads, which brought in around $800,000, the Chronicle reported at the time.

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Amy Kelley, director of family ministries with St. Luke's United Methodist Church's campus in the Sharpstown area, said the campaign seemed appropriate.

"We've always wanted to do more," she said. "This addresses the deepest need."

Kelley added that her church would continue passing out Manna Kits with toiletries and snacks.

Leaders with the local Hare Krishna temple said they are excited about the effort but concerned whether they would still be able to distribute food to needy people on the streets. Sarvabhauma Das Medley and Saranga Thakur Das said they hoped for a balanced approach to enforcement.