• LAVA Moderator: Mysterier

do you ever give homeless people money?

that's harsh. i have sympathy and do not believe they deserve their situation. and i'm not confident in my stance. so if someone has a dollar to give, why should they give a percent of it to a begging individual instead of all of it to the nonprofit human services sector? or if that's not the way to look at it, what is?

Whoops.

Thought OP was alasdairm.

Carry on.
 
Hardly ever, but mostly because I don't usually have cash on me. Every now and then I will give or buy food if its on the way to what I'm already doing or I have something on me.

If the question being asked is 'can you help me?', the answer is not always going to be yes. It just isn't. And that doesn't automatically make me an evil person just like it doesn't automatically make the person asking a crackhead.
 
Hmm, yeah no one should be considered evil for refusing to give them change. I can be kind of suggestive and have a hard time saying no when someone asks for help. Bum or not, it doesn't make much of a difference to me. I usually take the risk of giving people the benefit of the doubt, but not always.

I think some of them that I gave money to weren't even grateful for it. There were more than a few times that he/she didn't say thank you, or have a polite look about it. I don't regret it, but I would like it better if they didn't ask me in the first place.
 
I have a few protocols for something that should be much more simple.

I don't pull out my wallet. They get what is loose in my pocket.
If they seem to be engaging in intimidation they get nothing and I might call authorities.
I don't give anything to people who ask for help in close proximity to an ATM.
I might tell them close to an ATM is a bad place.

I never give them a speech about what they ought to do with the money.
Moral imperative speeches are worthless, for the most part. If they want to shoot the shit though and I have no where to be, I'd like that.
Usually, the interaction is mostly over when I give them bills or coin.

Edit: I read something online a couple or a few years ago. It was a Catholic priest who had serious objections to the 'don't give them anything, they'll use drugs. line of thinking'

The priest said the biggest problem with give them nothing they'll use drugs position was obvious. Its that it is a prop for people to feel righteous about doing nothing for nobody. Doing nothing for nobody is kind of neutral.As opposed to. . . I'm doing nothing for nobody and it is a noble thing I do. I really think a lot of people do believe they are saying no and it is saintly and heroic that they say no. I'm not kidding.
 
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I give them a dollar or so plus any change I have.

People who think the money usually goes to drugs are wrong, it usually goes to food.

Many studies suggest that around 70-80% of homeless people do not even use drugs.
 
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I never give them a speech about what they ought to do with the money.
Moral imperative speeches are worthless, for the most part. If they want to shoot the shit though and I have no where to be, I'd like that.

Same here, when I give I give unconditionally as I don't feel it's my place to say how people spend what is, after all, a *gift* - albiet a requested *gift*.
 
I give them a dollar or so plus any change I have.

People who think the money usually goes to drugs are wrong, it usually goes to food.

Many studies suggest that around 70-80% of homeless people do not even use drugs.

Yeah, maybe a huge portion don't use drugs since those are expensive, but alcohol? You couldn't be more wrong. I'm trying really hard to believe you that only 2 out of 10 homeless people are drunks; even if it's not the reason they became homeless in the first place. MOST, but not all of the cash you're giving is almost undoubtedly going toward vodka.

That being said, if asked nicely I will usually cough up a dollar but I'm not going to be deluding myself thinking that money is being saved up for an apartment or food because it almost never is. I don't know where you live, but for fucks sake, almost all of these guys reek of booze even when they're panhandling. If it weren't true, then the people who actually give them money would be giving a tad more than whatever change they have in their pocket, lmao, but a little life experience and common sense will teach you that it just isn't possible to just be sleeping and surviving in a low class area, surrounded by both human and literal garbage, exposed to the brutal weather be it hot or cold, and generally seen as less than human by passer-bys without being drunk nearly all day every day.

cheapskates don't let facts like this get in their avaricious way :)

alasdair

It's not about being cheap, it's about having a little dignity and respect for yourself. Whether its through intimidation or guilt tripping, these people will play on your emotions if you choose to let them.

I usually do give bums money because that dollar means way more to them than it does to me, but I completely see where the people who choose not to are coming from. Selectivity plays a big role too. If you're obese or not even trying to be respectful about it, I'll tell you to get fucked.
 
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The majority of them are either physically disabled or suffer from a mental illness. If they do spend the $ on drugs or alcohol they're probably self-medicating. The amount of homeless people who are using drugs/alcohol is going to depend on their location. If you research this I guarantee the % will be lower than you expect.

I could get into how some homeless people fill an important role in the workings of a metropolitan area, but that would be a waste of time.

fwiw: I said many studies suggest, I was not stating facts. ( I do not believe facts exist regarding this)

Here is a quick link which suggests anywhere from 30-50% drug/alcohol. (prob +/- 5% - 8.630000698%)

ofc not entirely accurate: PDF http://homeless.samhsa.gov/ResourceFiles/hrc_factsheet.pdf
 
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its a sick world that allows sick and homeless whilst on the flip self billionaires.

#equality
#empathy
#decency
 
I ran into two homeless people; one woman and one man on a cold winter night in January. I was on a substantial journey within my own mind at the time; and when I saw here two sitting there huddled in the corner, the woman reading a book.
At this time I considered myself too lucky to be poor, I've honestly never had to be homeless and I have been very fortunate my entire life so far. I looked into my wallet to see lots of bills.
The grieving was gripping at my heartstrings; how could I NOT help them at a time like this? If I was going to buy myself food for luxury, surely I could talk to these people and help them out.
And I did.

I could care less what they did with the money, circumstance is circumstance. I did what I personally believe was right in my nature.. Regardless of consequence.

That was really the only time I gave random strangers money. I have never given a man standing at a red light with cardboard signs money. I have seen many do it so perhaps it makes me feel less guilty.
 
Same here, well, as long as it's not a green light.

The ones that are grieving and looking especially down, or in pain, are the ones that I go up to and give a few bills/change voluntarily. Those are the ones who are consistently grateful.

I'm just like that by default, for whatever reason. Whether it's this, tips left at tables or Starbucks, or some dude asking for change because he needs gas, I can't help it. I just say okay, and I only curse my empathy when they are rude about it. Homeless or not.

I do think karma is real. Though it may not seem like it sometimes, that's only because I see a mere glimpse of a random person's/stranger's life. I think we all get what we deserve, in general and minus real tragedies.

That's not to say people pay the price for not giving handouts, lol. Far from it. People have their reasons, and they could be reasonable or hard to disagree with. But I think people do feel joy in doing this, knowing that we did something to help someone. That may be the only compensation that we get.
 
No I don't.

I have offered food and other items of welfare and they have been declined or accepted begrudgingly. Maybe that is just Scotland, where we have a reasonably decent welfare system and many charitable / voluntary trusts to support the poor and homeless. The plea of the homeless is often drug and alcohol related here.

When I traveled in India and Nepal it was explained, by someone more experienced in those countries and many others like them, that giving money to the poor did not help in the long term. It was a short term fix. Some of the poor / homeless made more money by begging than doctors and other professionals who really wanted to make a difference so it skewed the economy. Really grim stuff :| Especially if it's a child or disabled person you are faced with...

Instead I gave money to an orphanage that person took me to. At the time the cost of " one X-box game my own children were given regularly by me" was worth 1 year's housing and education of 1 child :(

It's a real difficult dilemma. However, I respect organisations who have have the "bigger picture" and want to make a sustainable, long term difference to the homeless and poors' life, that I do not understand the complexities or experience of being lucky enough to be part of a western / developed society. Hence I give my advantaged money to those organisations, locally and globally.
 
Sometimes I give them some change. I check them out first. If it looks like they can and should be working, I don't.
 
Yes, if I see/know/think that they're not part of one of those eastern europe beggar gangs with mafia like structures (the money goes up and not - or only to a small part - into the stomac of the beggar), even though I'm piss poor myself. Even more if they show that they're willing to do something for the money - making music or something. I don't think someone's begging because he/she is just too lazy to work, there must be a reason and I'm not here to judge (exceptions may be punks, but I always give to punks because I like their style).
 
I always stop to chat with them. They're human too, and are probably lonely and tired of being ignored. They almost always have good stories, and really changes how you think of the homeless.
 
I'm personally against it, not only that but I hardly ever carry cash on me. Just change. And even when I do they give me a funny look so I just ignore them now. Beggers can't be choosers
 
cheapskates don't let facts like this get in their avaricious way :)

alasdair

Indeed.

I confess I don't always give homeless people money but I do sometimes and don't think there's anything wrong with it. I really don't care what they spend it on, they're human beings and it's their right to decide. I can't say I have much belief that there's loads of "professional" beggars making shit loads of money in larger cities, and if it's a run by gangs presumably the people at the bottom having to sit out on the street all day get shafted.
 
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