The Wheels to Work program to assist panhandlers is now on short term hiatus at least through December with no firm date as to when it will be restarted.

But there does seem to be a consensus that the program will continue despite an admitted lack of success in getting panhandlers to participate.

At a meeting on Friday, 14 members of the steering committee who started the program back in June got research data as to some reasons why only 17% of the panhandlers had chosen to get on the bus and take advantage of the many services offered from food and clothing to jobs, housing, and substance-abuse counseling.

The data showed that 95% of the panhandlers said they would have housing and transportation barriers that would keep them from holding down a job.

Only eight percent of the panhandlers had a place to stay, showing that there is a connection between homelessness and panhandling.

60% admitted to having mental or physical health issues.

“That tells us that the expectation that all the folks that are panhandling could work, it's going to take a little more resources and training and finding employers who can accommodate their disabilities," explained Wes Buchholz, the Wheels to Work coordinator.

The Wheels to Work program sends buses around to Springfield intersections to offer services to panhandlers. Those 30 services are offered by a number of different organizations, but officials admit that sometimes the ability to provide instant help is difficult. For instance, a person might have to wait a while to get permanent housing or to see a mental health specialist.

“You look at things that maybe you didn’t consider when you started," said Adam Bodendieck, director of One Door. "And that’s where we are. I think we’re gonna take that and build, look at new partners, see who we need to bring in, see how we need to address the root-cause of some of these issues, and start tackling those.”

Buchholz also said that there will probably be a re-branding of the name when the buses roll again because there is some confusion that the buses are available for people to get rides to work.