Do you give money to homeless people?

We don't have them where I live.

I've never seen one before.

Apparently they're mostly in the city but I hate the city and never go there unless I'm driving to a particular part of it. I never just wonder around.

I don't know if I would or not either. Have to wait and see when the situation arises.
 
Can't say I've ever seen a hobo, wouldn't give them money even if I had.

I'm not really the charitable type, especially when you can give them money and they'll go buy something like cigarettes or alcohol. If I was ever going to give something to someone homeless, it would be food.

and i bet you they would throw it in the trash

It's not to say I don't have any sympathy for these people as a whole, but it's my money, and I'll invest it how I see fit.
 
I never give money to homeless people. :hmmm: If I can spare the money, I might buy them a hot chocolate, or a pastry from Gregg's, but that's about it. For one thing, looking after my own family can be hard enough, so that obviously comes first and foremost. But, I tend not to trust them much with money. I keep thinking they'll go and spend it on booze or cigarettes or drugs, and I absolutely detest the idea of funding selfish habbits like that. If they're not grateful for warm food, then sod them. :mokken:

Over here, you actually get people who go into restaraunts and try begging to people who are in the middle of a meal. I find that fucking ridiculous. Happened on two occasions me and my fiance were out for a meal. They also approach you at bus/trainstations claiming to be just a couple of pounds short of getting back home and ask to borrow some off you. Those types just look incredibly dodgy and I wouldn't be suprised if they were just scumbag junkies. :hmmm:
 
Just once, and it was 20 dollars. I wonder if he managed to turn that 20 into thousands. I also never saw him again after that day.
 
I don't give money to the homeless... they'd probably spend it on beer or cigs or something that they think they need. In reality, they just need food and water. I haven't given any homeless person food or water anyhow, but if I was feeling generous, that's what i'd give them... how would they say no? If I would give them something, I'd have to base it on how they present themselves to me.

Just like Sebastian Maniscalco:

 
I used to, but I don't anymore. With all the scams out there, I don't fucking trust anybody when it comes to being poor/homeless. Scam artists feed on people that have soft hearts and are charitable. It's shitty, it's fucked up, and I hate having a mentality like that because I really wanna help people. It makes me feel heartless when I just walk by people like that. Too many scammers out there though.
Sorry.
 
Homeless people don't need your money, to blow on liquor, or some snacks to get them by for the day. They don't need a hot chocolate or a fucking pastry... They need the resources, emotional, mental, and financial support to change their circumstances...

I'm going to tell you why you shouldn't give money to homeless people. It's not because you're a bad person, or because you're heartless, or greedy, selfish, etc. It's because you care that you refuse to, as hard as it may be.

Let's put it in perspective.

I'm a homeless man. I live in the streets, with no source of income, no support network, or resources to help me change my situation and get off the streets. I may have a mental disability, a severe problem with addiction, or I may might not want to work, and do the things I have to do to maintain a healthy lifestyle. There could be many reasons why I'm here on the corner of 5th and Main, bumming change. You're walking by and I happen to snag you up, stepping in front of you to delay and stall your course, preventing you from just powering through, as if you had never heard me at all. I've forced eye contact, reaching into your basic humanity, plucking a single string of guilt and sympathy.

Now it's real, I've obstructed your path, made eye contact, there's no ignoring me now without stomping on your humanity, and blowing by me like a pile of dog shit on the sidewalk.

Let's say you cave in; it's pay day, you've worked 3 extra shifts last week, and you're ahead on bills and groceries, so you have the luxury of being a good person this month. You give me $20, rushing off with the obligatory small-talk and You're very welcome's. You walk away feeling better about yourself for that week. You put food in a starving man's belly. Made his day a little brighter and easier.

But the next day, you see me back there again. Again next week, and the week after. Come to think of it, every time you pass 5th and Main, you can find me here...

Now it hits you. Like the B Train, it hits you hard. You're enabling me to sit there, day in, day out, never making change, never helping myself, because thanks to all of your generosity, I survive just fine...


Whereas if no one helped me, days would grow cold, lonely. My belly would grow hungry, my palate dry. Survival instinct would kick in, and Darwin would smirk from his grave as I'm forced to evolve, adapt, make change or die.




I'm not saying we should starve every homeless person out, forcing them to change or die, for god's sake, don't be so naive and foolish. What I am saying, is that it's a tricky, gray area. It wasn't your choices or actions that brought that person to where they are. You owe them nothing, whereas they owe themselves everything. I've seen and done some fucked up, next-level shit in this world; lived a long, hard, colorful life. I've experienced stuff that changes you. Hardens your disposition in this world. So when push comes to shove, it would break my heart if 'Ol Richy (a homeless man from my small Atlantic Canadian town) starved or froze to death, but It's not on me to help a man who has chosen to live like this for over 15 years... I've got my own problems and loved ones to worry about.
 
Since I don't know their situation I would be afraid I'll be feeding their habit or enabling them to harm themselves. Instead I'll buy them a hot drink and a bite to eat along with a tin of food so they'll have something for later.

Maybe that's something that isn't helpful to bring around a change in their lifestyle. The way I figure it though, better they have a bit of health and strength with a chance to raise themselves from the streets if they wish, than starving to death for lack of care.
 
We don't have homeless people around here, but there are loads of old women that would follow you around in shops/malls and just grab you and tell you a story about how one her relatives is sick etc etc and beg you for money, first time it happened to me I gave the woman about 30$, and instead of thanking me she just went "that's it?" and i was shocked like jesus what is your problem?

the same thing happened to me four more time, different women, same exact story, later the police found out that the way were a group from a neighbouring country that begged for money from everyone [even though apparently they had loads :/] so after that I stopped sympathising with them.
 
I do not give money to people off the street. I read a new article a couple of years ago that these people may not really be homeless, and that they just panhandle for money because it works for them.

I always donate to the Salvation Army around the holidays.
 
Yeah, I sometimes give money to panhandlers. I try to treat others the way I want to be treated and if they're lying, then that's a problem they are going to have to deal with while I have the feeling of satisfaction in MY corner.
 
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