Do You Give Money To The Homeless Person on the St

[mind_wander]

I know one of you must at least exprienced this once in your life. Has anyone off the street[homeless or not], asked you for $1 or $2 for food? How do you respond?

This happened to me before, it really depends. $1 is fine, but nothing over. Because I'm not sure, what that money end up; drugs, alcohol, etc.

[qwerty]

Some of the most interesting people I've met are homeless.
Take Gina the lady who's lived at circular quay for the past decade (in between the opera house and Sydney harbour bridge). She's the only homeless person that the rangers in the area don't move on simply because she's been there for so long. She has a laptop, mobile phone and a job at the newstand 10 metres from her 'stuff'.

I won't give her money because she doesn't ask for it, instead I'll give her food if I have any to spare and if I have the time I'll spend 10-15 minutes talking to her and finding out how she is.

The funny thing is, that she's been offered a house but refuses to live in it (it's department of housing house) because she honestly believes she is safer on the streets (bad experiences with junkies and drunks who attacked her). She knows that there are people are around and the police will aid her as soon as she calls them (she gives them tips about various things she sees during the day and night).

As far as most of the other homeless - I will only give them food and only if they have good character (nothing worse than a junkie homeless person).

[Firelie]

If I see an actual homeless person who asks for change, I'll usually give up whatever I have, but the majority of beggars in Portland are lazy ass wannabe punk kids who lounge around downtown and ask for change rather than getting jobs.

[Raven Queen]

I might if they asked me nicely for it. But mostly beggars here sit somewhere and wait for people to give them change... I mostly ignore them and just walk on.

[ShaiGar]

If I see an actual homeless person who asks for change, I'll usually give up whatever I have, but the majority of beggars in Portland are lazy ass wannabe punk kids who lounge around downtown and ask for change rather than getting jobs.
So many jobs in darwin that if someone wants to work, the jobs there for the asking. More jobs than people, and a lot of unskilled labor. The bums around town are just wastrel drunks. A few are schizophrenics who dont have the money for help. I dont have the money yet to help them but I dont have money to help them.

No, I don't.

[mind_wander]

Some of the most interesting people I've met are homeless.
Take Gina the lady who's lived at circular quay for the past decade (in between the opera house and Sydney harbour bridge). She's the only homeless person that the rangers in the area don't move on simply because she's been there for so long. She has a laptop, mobile phone and a job at the newstand 10 metres from her 'stuff'.

I won't give her money because she doesn't ask for it, instead I'll give her food if I have any to spare and if I have the time I'll spend 10-15 minutes talking to her and finding out how she is.

The funny thing is, that she's been offered a house but refuses to live in it (it's department of housing house) because she honestly believes she is safer on the streets (bad experiences with junkies and drunks who attacked her). She knows that there are people are around and the police will aid her as soon as she calls them (she gives them tips about various things she sees during the day and night).
As far as most of the other homeless - I will only give them food and only if they have good character (nothing worse than a junkie homeless person).
Maybe she cared whats in front of her and don't care about materialistic things [home does count, but for us logic people its a need]. There are people like this in the world, God bless them.

[OneBadMother]

I usually try to donate at least a buck or two. If it's an entire line of homeless people down the street, I probably won't give to all of them. I don't think I'd have that much cash on me.

[Falcarius]

No, I don't give money to homeless people directly, as you don't know what they are going to use it for. At least if I give to a homeless charity I know it would be used more sensibly.

[OneBadMother]

Not really. Especially with the bigger charities, only a relatively small percentage might go to the needy themselves.

[Rei]

No...
Most homeless people I see are young able people.
I refuse to believe it is impossible for them to find any old job.

I soften up a lot when they're with dogs or something. But at the same time it makes me "WTF"
At most I'll give them food, or some other stuff I can spare. Frankly, I'm in need of my money as much as they are, and I (and my parents) work hard for it.

I'd more likely save that up and go take in an animal from the SPCA.


Someone tell me a story where the person is homeless for a reason that's REALLY, TRULY, ENTIRELY not their fault and I might change my mind.

[mind_wander]

There are many varities of homeless quotes like the "I'm a nice homeless guy can you spare some change", "I just broked up with my gf/bf and locked out", "I haven't eaten like 3 days, can you spare something" etc.

[Rei]

There are many varities of homeless quotes like the "I'm a nice homeless guy can you spare some change", "I just broked up with my gf/bf and locked out", "I haven't eaten like 3 days, can you spare something" etc.

Locked out =/= no money. He can go buy his own damn food while he figures out how to make up with his girlfriend.

You haven't eaten in 3 days? Hum, I wonder why? Because you got fired from your last job because you're incompetent? Well then too bad.

Like I said... give me a good story of someone who's on the street and it's not their fault.

[mind_wander]

lol, that is so funny. I've never heard the last one before. Could you spare a $1? [me asking]

[Firelie]

I soften up a lot when they're with dogs or something. *But at the same time it makes me "WTF"


I get pissed off when I see homeless people with dogs. In my mind, if you can't take care of yourself, you'd better not be dragging a defenseless animal into your situation as well.

[rwyatt365]

Actually, I do give spare change to those who ask – not always, but more often than not. I do it primarily because I've been out of work twice in my "career", and both times for extended periods – to the point where I was afraid that I would become one of the homeless. I know for a fact that "regular people" can be put into extraordinary circumstances not necessarily of their own making. Somewhere, in the back of my mind a voice says, "That could be you".

So, I let them tell me their "story" and then I look them square in the eye. If I see "con" in their eyes then I don't give up a dime. If I see a sincere hurt there, then I will give them a buck or two. I'm not saying that my BS-meter is foolproof but I trust it.

[OneBadMother]

Eh, one of my friends was homeless when he was a kid. It wasn't exactly his fault. It's kind of hard to find a way out of that, especially when you have to support your ailing mom as well. Even if it's not impossible for them to make it out of their situation, it doesn't mean they should have to starve. Plenty of people who just happened to be lucky enough to be born in the right situation.

[aelan]

I usually will give at least a couple dollars. I know, I should probably give them food or something instead...

[phoenix]

I soften up a lot when they're with dogs or something. But at the same time it makes me "WTF"


I get pissed off when I see homeless people with dogs. In my mind, if you can't take care of yourself, you'd better not be dragging a defenseless animal into your situation as well.



How do you know the human and dog didn't hook up AFTER the person became homeless?

[Firelie]

How do you know the human and dog didn't hook up AFTER the person became homeless?

There are plenty of no-kill shelters in this area that would accept a homeless dog and take care of it very well.

A lot of the people with dogs merely use them as a ploy to get more sympathy and therefore more change, though. A homeless person that looks healthy and sitting on the ground with a sign? Easy to ignore. That same homeless person with a dog sitting beside him? Much more likely to get attention. The dog pulls people's heartstrings a little more. Oh poor doggy!

[The Rose]

I will give someone money, but I'd rather buy them food.

[TruorTupnm]

If I am asked for money and not already heading full speed towards whatever goal I'm outside for and therefore ignoring most humans, I will usually toss a couple of dollars at them. Entirely to be left alone. Doesn't always work. I have known some people who are always at one spot while I happen to be. They always ask for more and more money. I always find some alternate route as soon as possible. Garn, yo. This one lady asked if I had a couple of bucks. I gave her two dollars. She then pointed out that two dollars is not enough to buy food for herself and her children. I asked her why she only asked for two dollars, then. She informed me that she meant to ask for more. I tossed her three more, making five. She then eyed my wallet and asked how much money it would normally cost to buy a decent amount of food, as well as to get a bus pass. My eye twitched. I didn't know the answer.

[INTJoe]

I can't stand beggers. If they wanted to participate in society, they easily could. Just bucking society then begging people who are begrudgingly playing the game is chickensh*t.

But I will throw some change or whatever towards a street performer IF I stop and watch. I mean, he's taken it upon himself to be a freelance entertainer, so if I let myself be entertained by him, I feel obliged to pay.

I think I look like an easy mark, too. But I just don't make eye contact and keep walking saying very clearly "No." or "I don't have any."

[mind_wander]

If I am asked for money and not already heading full speed towards whatever goal I'm outside for and therefore ignoring most humans, I will usually toss a couple of dollars at them. Entirely to be left alone. Doesn't always work. I have known some people who are always at one spot while I happen to be. They always ask for more and more money. I always find some alternate route as soon as possible. Garn, yo. This one lady asked if I had a couple of bucks. I gave her two dollars. She then pointed out that two dollars is not enough to buy food for herself and her children. I asked her why she only asked for two dollars, then. She informed me that she meant to ask for more. I tossed her three more, making five. She then eyed my wallet and asked how much money it would normally cost to buy a decent amount of food, as well as to get a bus pass. My eye twitched. I didn't know the answer.

Lol, she eyed your wallet because you an generous ATM machine.

[Todos]

I was going to make a thread asking this then I found this one. I never give anything to beggars in the street, and I think the reason is I think there are worthwhile useful people who add good things to this world, or at least try to, and people who do not and might not try to. I do not want to blindly support the desires of someone who may not be "good".

Just the other day I was in a 99 cent store checking out, and a youngish guy (~25) carrying a bunch of bags from a Walmart shopping trip, was behind me in line. He asked me for a dime since he said he was short for a soda he was buying.

I'm sure a bunch of stuff passed through my mind --
- He is asking me for money in a matter of fact way, not "Excuse me sir.." , just "Can I have a dime, I'm short for a soda".
- he was carrying those bags, and in this part of town, near the public transit line, I took that to mean he doesn't have a working car. From that I figured he must not be a very resourceful/effective fellow.
- he apparently does not have any means to pay other than cash; again, probably not an effective human in todays world.
- what is someone with limited resources doing buying a soda? He doesn't need it.
- he has done a horrible job at planning. He's out shopping but didn't bring enough money, or he foolishly overspent at Walmart. He has failed.

The cashier was handing me my change back, 2 quarters, a nickel and some pennies. I looked at the guy and said "I don't have a dime".

He kind of gave a little chuckle (as if exasperated), and that was that.

I'm not sure what I would have ended up doing if I actually had a dime in my hand; it would have made it harder to say no I suppose, but I probably would have given an obviously fabricated excuse about needing it for something else.

After I did it is when I started to think about why I didn't give the dude a dime. Most people probably would have; I have to wonder if the INTJ traits of competence and planning, and his abhorrent lack of them, is what drove my action.

[PRBori]

It depends...

If the person looks healthy I offer then food, most of the time they will take it, although there was one time the guy got mad... that's when you know they want it for drugs.

If is someone with a physical issue or an older men (60+) I will actually give out money. It really depends...

I remember one time I adopted this homeless older men, I though of him as my grandfather, since I never met either of mine. I remember getting him breakfast and lunch, and even there were times I had no money except for one lunch I would just spend it on him simply because I felt bad for him... we did talk a few times, so it was like a friend... after all, I knew I could eat later that day at home..

I also tend to give $20+ to people with mayor physical impediments or otherwise handicap, although I'm very careful because I knew of one guy who would fake it. You knew he was well fed... but he was in a whealchair, nevertheless I was always suspicious so I really never gave him anything... and I was right, a few days later I saw him standing up talking to someone...

I guess is all about knowing who to help...

If you ask me most of those beggers are young and able to work. I will never help someone I felt was healthier than myself.

If someone approach me in the Metro or a store because they were missing a few cents or less than 2 dollars, if I have it I have no issues whatsoever helping them..

That's just me, although I've done much more for some homeless people...

I took a couple from Cuba into my home once because it was really cold. I did everything to find them a permanent place; however, it was impossible. The men was 77, very clear mind, but very sick, his wife was 66. There was nothing in the world that could separate them. One of the reasons they wouldn't stay at a shelter is because they were told that they had to sleep in separate beds, so they preferred the street.

I felt bad for them, they actually need it care 24/7. Mentally, let's say they were not stable. No shelter wanted them, and a place for elderly wouldn't take care of them because the SS benefits were only 800/month. I wish I could have done more for them, but I couldn't. They end it up back in the street, most likely died a few months later.

Bottom line for me, it depends on many factors before I decide to help someone. Never the less, is rare for m to encounter such situations in my area. I think in DC or those areas closer to DC are more popular, you don't see a lot of them in MD or VA areas far from DC.

Anyway, I'm weird I know...

[dandylion]

Hell no. They're probably just masquerading as bums. If they're authentic bums, well, it sucks to be them. There are always homeless shelters. They're just not looking hard enough. Besides, ever wonder how they land on the streets in the first place? Maybe their lack of self-motivation and diligence. I will not reward them for being pathetic. They have no one to blame but themselves, and they can't expect others to take care of them. All the time they spend walking up and down the streets begging for change could have been spent productively, trying to clean themselves up and get a real job.

I don't even buy from door-to-door fund raisers. However, there was this one kid who was trying to raise funds to go to college by selling magazine subscriptions, and I thought that was nice, but I didn't really trust him. I did question him a bit, and he seemed to be honest enough. He even showed me his pockets full of money that were supposedly collected from my neighbors. I didn't want to turn him away with nothing in case he was the real deal, so I gathered a bunch of change and gave it to him. Hey, there's always financial aid, scholarships, grants, and part-time jobs.

[SeaCzar]

Never. I give to charities, but not to beggars & bums. The only thhing I would ever give them, and I do not carry it with me, is soap.

[anul]

Oh goodness no. I've primarily have dealt with Chicago homeless people. At one point in time when I was younger and foolish I might. Then after years of seeing those same people I grew to hate them.

Then I moved to the Gold Coast area of Chicago. Blocks away from Lake Michigan, also blocks away from Cabrini Green. For those who are unfamiliar with Cabrini Green, they are housing projects that are slowly being torn down. Since Gold Coast is generally filled with out of towner's some residents of Cabrini travel over to the Gold Coast area and panhandle. It's annoying having to deal with them sometimes. Try dealing with them every time you leave your apartment regardless of the hour, and regardless of distance traveled. At least one hobo encounter guaranteed. Most are harmless and will leave you alone, they just look gross and smell like piss. How can the city of Chicago kills pigeons, and not these people.

[Jgib5328]

I don't give any money to the poor. I'm not interested in donating or helping the weak, I'll leave that to the altruists of society.

[ElstonGunn]

I'll give them money. I said "other" because I remember giving a guy $12 once.

It would be nice if they took that money and used it to turn their lives around, but if they just want to go buy a bottle of bourbon, that's fine with me. A lot of them don't seem to be interested in becoming normal, productive members of society, anyways. But I don't think that I have the authority to tell a person how he should be living his life.

[AgentofGaming]

I never give it to them either. If I did that, they would become dependent on it. The last thing I want to do is give someone the impression they can make a living off asking others for money.

I don't give to charity solictors either, if I supported the cause and I'm sure it was authentic then fine, but otherwise they shouldn't bother me so much, that just destroys the whole thing.

[sriv]

This is one of the few threads on charities/philanthropy and I am somehow not surprised at the results.

I would give them the money. They need it a lot more than I do, even though I will feel really insecure and suspicious of ulterior motives after the interaction.

[mkay]

Used to frequently. Less so now. I donate more to nonprofits.

[notoppings]

Rarely. I have actually tried to give a person food when they asked for money for food, as I was exiting the market and he got upset saying no I want the money not your food. Since then never give to older people only young kids and only clothes or food.

[catd]

I lived in NY briefly and there was a homeless man on a corner that I passed everyday. I had never seen a homeless person before then. I would pass him everyday and finally one day I stopped and gave him ten dollars and told him that the next day I better see some socks on his feet. The next day he had socks. So I gave him twenty dollars and told him to get some shoes (he had old flip flops on and it was cold). The next day he had shoes. This went on for a couple of weeks and he always did what I told him and he started to physically look better - healthier. I don't know what happened to him, we moved shortly after this started.

I have had some ups and downs in my own life and I think if enough things went wrong in a short enough period of time, who knows? Life isn't fair to everyone, some people get the short end of the stick. I usually give them $10-$20, when I am making money, I'll give them $50. So what if they spend it on booze, if I were living on the street I'd want a drink too.

[jesse]

Very rarely do I give money to homeless. My reasoning being that you cannot feed them all and once you get a reputation for being a giver, you might as well find yourself swamped by the sick and the needy. Call me cynical, but I am not entirely sure of non-profits or charities. They might be for a so-called good cause, but you do wonder how much of the actual funds goes to their intended recipients, rather than in administrative fees.

Maybe a better way is to volunteer yourself into this line of work, without donating money because at least then you can see what you are accomplishing. Of course everything needs money to an extent, but there's nothing like the old school elbow grease.

[Hdier]

One time, I saw somebody with a 'homeless vet-need money' sign. The only odd thing about him was that he was wearing a tuxedo...

(true story)

[EsoteriEccentri]

The answer is to go and buy them what they say the money is for - e.g. a sandwich. Unless your reason for not giving to them is something other than the fear they'll spend it on drugs.

[mkay]

Call me cynical, but I am not entirely sure of non-profits or charities. They might be for a so-called good cause, but you do wonder how much of the actual funds goes to their intended recipients, rather than in administrative fees.

Maybe a better way is to volunteer yourself into this line of work, without donating money because at least then you can see what you are accomplishing. Of course everything needs money to an extent, but there's nothing like the old school elbow grease.

If you actually care to give money and are cautious, you can easily check out nonprofits. The legit ones tell you exactly how much of each dollar they spend on overhead and how much goes to recipients. They will be open to any financial questions. If you prefer to donate labor and see direct results, Habitat for Humanity is a good one.

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[Jakalwarrior]

Give em a quarter and tell em to dial 211 (social services hotline) and ask where the nearest food pantry is. They probably already know where it is though. Most will give a box a month or so, not to mention they are probably elligble for food stamps even being homeless. They will need a mailing address, they can also ask the 211 operator about that.

I dont know about other places, but here there are resources to help if you dont want to be homless anymore. Where I work they can get a case manager that helps them get into a shelter, get a job, find an apartment, get IDs, Birth Certificates, Bus passes for work, etc... You have to not try or not be able to give up drugs if you want to stay homeless.

[azelismia]

I get pissed off when I see homeless people with dogs. In my mind, if you can't take care of yourself, you'd better not be dragging a defenseless animal into your situation as well.


well don't be too judgemental about that.. getting a dog while homeless is irresponsible but what if they had that animal when they became homeless.

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I think this is a serious problem with our system right now that does need to be addressed.