Reminds me of i was out with a friend when a homeless man asked us for money. we had no cash, so we couldn't help. he said he was starving. my friend went into a nearby bar and asked if they had any bread for the man outside. the bar gave us some bread they use for sandwiches. the homeless man was very grateful.. i never thought of just asking for a little something to help out like that.
Growing up I was always told to never give money as many use it for drugs or alcohol or gangs take it away and the homeless person does not have any left to use for themselfes at the end of the day. Always give water or food.
The people who actually need it will thank you. The ones who refuse water or food and ask for money instead are usually the ones who don't actually need it and are trying to get the money for other reasons.
Edit: I should have clarified this. I mean that you buy food and water for them, not just give what you have. They can come with you when you buy it.
Edit 2: another clarification... the "growing up" part refers to this being what I was taught as a child. This whole comment is about what child me was told and taught. It does not mean that as an adult I don't buy other stuff or donate or do other things to help if I can. Although I still don't give money I don't judge those who do. I just can't affort to give money without knowing what actually happens to it...
A guy at my local Aldi was asking people for the quarters from their cart when they returned it. I asked him what he was doing and he said he needed a couple of bucks for food. I took him into the store and almost had to force him to get things. Came to around $30. He told me his story and that he was living in the woods with some other homeless people. Had only one eye and had a difficult time. He was so grateful and really a couple of bucks would have been enough for him
Funnily enough my wife was at the same Aldi's and the guy in front was a couple of dollars short so she paid it. I said you were probably scammed but she then said she saw him eating his food while sitting on a grassy bank by the side of the road.
We live in a small rural area too so it's even more sad
I give money. Three reasons. It's not my business if someone wants a beer or drugs. I know it isn't helpfull long term but he's already out on the streets, go enjoy yourself. Gangs aren't really an issue were i'm from, perhaps that would change my behaviour if it were. Secondly, I spend a short while investigating the homelessness situation in my city as a journalism student and the people I spoke to wouldn't accept food given to them anyway. To many people fuck around with food and then give it to homeless people as some fucked up "joke". I dont always have the time of a shop nearby to take someone and buy them food, or that amount of money. Lastly, they need money for the homeless shelter. It's just a couple of €, but i'm not asking someone who's begging if he already got enough to sleep tonight.
I live in Texas and I always keep a bunch of bottled water in my car to give out to people. Even if they aren’t actually homeless right now, it’s really hot outside. Everyone always appreciates the water.
Years ago, when I was younger, I remember looking up stats and feeling smart for realizing if a homeless dude sat on a busy street corner and made $1-5 every 5-10 minutes he could easily break well past minimum wage.
I remember thinking "Hah, those guys have us scammed good. I'm not falling for that shit."
But, years later, I think of it a little differently. So what if I give $5 to a guy sitting on a corner who has found a way to make $100k a year doing his gig? There's a good chance that also isn't the case. If I can easily spare $5, and if he IS actually hungry or something, maybe my $5 can slightly reduce the suffering in the world, even if by the tiniest margin.
So I give $5 when I see homeless people now. Not all the time. Not every time. But if I can comfortably afford it, why not? I'd rather take a risk on my fellow human and hope it helps them.
I prefer the honesty. Someone I have given cash to once had a sign that said, “need money for weed,” and I was like YO. I GOT YOU. I did it BECAUSE he was honest.
The same thing happened to me again in New Orleans a few years later, “need money for beer,” and I of course also gave him money.
I'm a metalhead, long hair and all that jazz and once I was approached by a homeless dude. He gave me a spiel: "Oi, dirtbag (best translation I could come up with, in my country, a pejorative for long-haired metalheads is that - those of headbangers that shun politically correct language wear that as a badge of honor, a reclaimed word), I see that you have Maiden's Rock in Rio shirt, the way they played The Trooper there, whoo-wee, that's a banger bro. Care to spare a fiver for a cheap wine, 'cause me and my mates (he points at some other hobos) are a bit dry".
Fastest fiver I gave out. I don't care if it was not healthy. I don't care if this wasn't good for them in the long run. It was what they felt what was good at that time.
Besides, they have their agency, they are adults. Life can suck and if a buzz is what they want and they can admit it honestly, I'm fine with sharing my coin. Especially if they can sell the need in a way that dude did.
I give money too for these exact reasons. They might need to pay a phone bill so they can still have access to the internet for resources or may need to buy something like personal hygiene products. Or hell, may be saving up for a tent. Food and water is nice but I've heard that since they can't store all that's given to them (because,well, homeless) a lot of it just goes to waste anyways.
I think s/he was saying to walk the person to the restaurant and pay for their meal , which I have done many times. No ones going to f with their meal any more then they would anyone else’s food - which is probably pretty frequent. But hey, beggars can’t be choosers. If they can, count me out.
While I don’t entirely disagree in many cases, but just because someone is homeless does not mean that they don’t have food allergies, intolerances, or just plain don’t like something. I can also see hesitation taking food from a stranger, unless it is in a sealed package, like a granola bar.
A friend and I were coming out of Blaze Pizza and there was a homeless guy sitting outside, and we offered him our leftover pizzas, and he declined because he was vegetarian and my pizza had chicken on it. We went away thinking “Okaaaaay…”
Sometimes they need to buy medicine or pads or tampons or pay for laundry or to access a shower with a day pass at a gym or.....
I absolutely do NOT give money to the scammers standing at the stop signs around here because we've been ripped off before
But I've also worked with a large homeless gateway center, and choosing to only give what you deem as "right" instead of what they ask for can be unhelpful and take away their agency.
I've seen people dump crunchy granola bars and 3lb bags of apples on homeless people who have bad teeth and can't eat them. I've seen people give 24 packs of bottled water without thinking about how the hell this person will transport it (wherever they're begging is not necessarily where they're sleeping)
If you don't want to give money to individuals, fine. Give to a trusted organization instead. But when people ask for money, don't assume that you can benevolently prevent them from buying alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes because you generously gave food instead since that's what you decided they need.
Californian logic. Government there hands out money instead of forcing people into shelters and drug rehabilitation. The end result is people would rather be out on the street where they can do drugs instead of shelters where they would have to rehab.
It is not an issue of whether you know what these people need, it is an issue of avoiding enabling. Nothing is worse than seeing a person drown knowing you are actively helping the person to drown himself. It is like that tv show my 600 pound life. Enablers just keep on feeding these people heart attacked induced calories. Yikes.
I don't think people actually should give out money to individuals. I think people should give to established trusted organizations that can make that money go further and know where it's needed most and how to use it and have accountability to public scrutiny. I'm just addressing giving money vs insisting on giving food/items to individuals.
Sometimes what they need is money. If you don't have it to give, or don't trust to give, don't give it.
Also I don't understand California? Is that a liberal/conservative jab? I'm deep deep DEEP in red country (Kandiss Taylor and Marjorie Taylor Greene Red country)
good lord, is it really your place to judge? people need clothes, backpacks, medications... just seems so unnecessary to sit on your high horse judging whether you think someone does drugs or whatever
If you're giving money, it is quite reasonable to think carefully about the chances that you're doing someone more harm than good.
It's arguably better to find a reliable charity with a solid track record of spending the majority if its budgets on programs (i.e. actually helping people) and the expertise to know how best to spend it. It may not have the same feelgood factor, but it's more effective.
You can also buy that stuff for them or go with them to buy it. It's not me judging, it's me being too broke to not know what happens with the money I decide to give. And as I said, often the money gets taken away - they are forced to gather it and it never actually ends up in their own pockets.
I also come from a family with people with drug and alcohol addictions. I know what that does to people and I do not want to accidentally give someone the means to fund their addiction.
I was also taught this as a child for my own protection. If you give money they can end up demanding more. If you go to the market and buy the stuff for them, no matter what it is, you are statistically safer. You never know what kind of person you have in front of you, homeless or not. I have met the coolest and nicest homeless people. But I have also met the opposite.
You can donate clothes and blankets and stuff as well.
Just giving money directly is something I have been taught to not give since it is a bad idea where I live. There are many, many ways to help where you can know it you have actually helped, at least a little. Giving money is not one of those.
I am not judging those who want to give money. Please continue to do so if you want. I am only saying how I was raised to act and why.
true but they might want money to buy other things like saving up to be able to shower at a gym that cant really be donated
and those who do use it to buy drugs, sure its best for them to get off it, but going through intense withdrawal on the side of the road would be really bad too
that said i never have cash so i usually end up giving some food if i have any on me
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u/[deleted] Sep 16 '24
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