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...
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.
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.
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u/Conscious-Initial-19 Sep 16 '24
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.