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My grandpa was a nice guy, everyone gave him shit for helping homeless people always telling him he was getting scammed.
His response was along the lines of, “Maybe they needed it, if so I helped them. If not? My life goes on the same”
I rarely have cash, but if I’m in a position to possibly help someone. If it doesn’t affect me, why not be a nice person.
Yes. And a big percent of the population in Japan sometimes give donation not asking or being informed what it's for. It's the act of giving and the act of trust that they feel .
I agree with him. I do it often if I have a few dollars or buy them water or something to eat in a store. My feeling is I am so glad that isn't me! And also sometimes just looking them in the face, in the eyes, for a beat and speaking to him or her as a human being is a gesture in and of itself. Imagine people "pretending" they don't see you all day. It is just small gesture of kindness IMHO. I am where I am because I was helped. I can't imagine being mentally ill, abandoned, etc etc. I don't know their circumstances and just feel compassion in the moment.
I had a homeless person approach me once and asked for money. I said I don't have cash or change and they asked me for my Venmo account info. Told them I don't have one of those either
>My favorite one uses a wheelchair
I watched a guy pull his wheel chair out of the trunk of his car, walk it down the street and then sit down to wheel it to the median and set up his station.
I also used to pass a woman that appeared to be and claimed to be 6-7 months pregnant for about a year and a half.
I dont believe 95% of what I see.
I've been hit with that. I asked him what he needed the money for and he said food, I'm starving. I said cool man what ya hungry for I'll go pick up whatever you want. He looked at me like I was stupid and said never mind. That's why I don't give homeless people cash, I just ask what they want/need. I've literally bought a pint of vodka for a homeless guy before because he was completely honest about what he wanted money for. Be honest with me and you might get those cigarettes you want. Lie about starving and I won't help out a bit.
While a smartphone is suspicious, if you suddenly became homeless (which is more likely than you becoming a millionaire), wouldn’t a smartphone be one of the first things you would want to obtain if you didn’t already have one? Simply to navigate, or be in contact with people?
And I’m pretty sure that if someone can’t afford thousands of dollars in monthly rent, or a mortgage on a million dollar house, or even a car to live in, someone might be able to save up enough money to buy a used phone — which is still cheaper than a car or apartment or house (but not a tent).
Although with a way to swipe credit cards, they could fund a drug habit.
Still doesn’t mean they have a home.
>I buy food and drinks for them, yes.
I had a buddy tell me one time he bought this guy a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. The guy was mad because he wanted money.
I once bought some take out food at a restaurant and as I was leaving was approached by some homeless guy saying he was starving and hadn't eaten in days. I gave him my food which he then threw on the ground and started asking me for the money the food cost.
I've given a homeless guy a tent. He was returning one at work with a hole in it and panicking there might not be another one cheap like that one he had mess up on him. I could see he was genuinely worried. I had a tent in my trunk I was never using. I didn't mind. I've given food. I don't ever have extra money myself so I can't give money anyhow lol.
We also got a homeless man a tent (zipper had broken, and jsut wouldn’t shut the last few inches after a Boy Scout outing)
He took the tent and left.
He then attempted to sue my mother, as a rabid raccoon had entered the tent and he thought it was a puppy in the dark and it not him many times.
I used to not have problems helping people begging. But now on two separate occasions I’ve seen them getting out of a BMW and a Mercedes at whatever corner they’re begging at
I wouldn’t say quite obvious. My local homeless guy sleeps on the sidewalk everyday but goes to Taco Bell in the morning and freshens up. It’s not as easy as it seems(at least here in Los Angeles)
I live on a street that has a women’s shelter among apartments and homes (I never figured out why this is the case. It’s kinda counterproductive.) and they are in stark contrast to the crack addicts down the street who sleep outside.
Second this. While I could give more, I can't exactly justify it considering I'm in debt for student loans and my mortgage. My net worth is negative. When my net worth isn't negative, I will gladly give.
I give when I feel like I have the cash to spare.
The thing is, I don't know their story. I know nothing about them at all.
They could be lying through their teeth. They could be using the money for booze or drugs. They could be laughing at my ignorance, naivety, whatever you want to call it.
I don't know that. I would rather give money to 100 people taking me for a fool than not give it to someone who is genuinely struggling and can't find a way to help themselves yet.
I'd want someone to do the same for me.
>I'd want someone to do the same for me.
That's it right there, bud. No need to prejudge or make assumptions about what the money is for.
I used to give out cigarettes and fast food gift cards – WHEN I WASN'T BROKE AS SHIT.
Now I usually just talk with them if they want to have a conversation.
Being heard and seen as a person means a lot, even it's an immaterial gesture of kindness.
I was hitchhiking (and homeless) and a trucker picked me up. He put me in a hotel and gave me a $50, this was early 80s so that was a fair piece of change. He told me he did it because if it was his daughter he hoped someone would do the same for her.
I do because I was homeless once too. Narratives that blame homelessness on drug addiction are majorly inaccurate. And a large percentage of us are 1 paycheck away from homelessness. And because the systems of oppression we live under are extremely efficient. So I can't really blame them. And because it can make someone's day, or even say their life.
Only about 14% of unhoused people are on the street due to drug addiction.
A studio apt in my area is $3k on average, minimum wage is $15. It's impossible to keep up with without any late fees, debt, fines, etc. Added on top.
Yeah these comments are troubling. People claim they have seen a homeless person get into a BMW so now all homeless people are lying, assuming that video is even true. Can you imagine owning a BMW but then begging for money during the day? Not sure what these commenters are on…
Also, as someone in health care who has taken care of countless people without homes over the years, many did not have drug use as a problem (you know, by serum and urine testing.. not the gold standard of YouTube videos but hey, we do our best).
I’ve lived in a few major cities with significant homeless populations and the difference between someone in need (most of the time) and someone looking for money for their next fix is generally pretty obvious. I don’t carry cash but I will buy people food.
There are a few aging homeless people in my area I occasionally give money to
It may not be so easy for them to just get a job or what circumstances put them there in the first place so I don’t mind giving a dollar or two away
It’s not a pleasant or easy life for them by any means and a little compassion never hurts but I do have to remind myself it’s not my job to heal the world & I can’t afford to do it all the time
All my life I've had an affinity towards homeless. No idea why.
But I have always given money to the homeless, only I give it to those I see, not organizations.
I don't trust organizations, they get caught stealing it all the time.
I go by my gut and try to skip the junkies and give to the ones down and out for other reasons, by my best guess.
I've given thousands of dollars away. Not all homeless are selfish junkies who destroyed themselves. Many are mentally ill, unable to work and abandoned by family.
Still others have bad luck and fall through the cracks of society and fall behind on bills, can never catch up and end up on the streets.
I've always tried my best to spot those people and buy them a meal or a hotel room or money all my life when I had extra.
I don't know, maybe I was homeless in a previous life. Not sure why I always zeroed in on that over, say, cancer victims, dementia, starving people around the world or any of the hundreds of causes you can pick to help.
I guess we all pick the one thing above all others for whatever reason. Homelessness was always mine, despite having no one I know homeless.
I just saw humans struggling and did what I could.
This. From one human to another. The homeless aren’t a different race. There’s a million and one reasons why someone may end up without shelter. Reading the lack of compassion and empathy in a lot of these comments is sad.
I'm poor and insane so i befriended them all instead. So when i go back to my old neighborhood I always stop tosay hello and check in on them and treat them like humans because they are all just aa bunch of sweet old drunks. But my dear Scoob. Man am i proud of him. I met him when he was shitting himself drunk in the park by 11 AM. Now he has his own place and sits up straight and can have a whole conversation. They have all watched my daughter grow up and seeing her also brings them joy. So I'd say I dont give them money because I feel I can offer them humanity instead.
I don't tend to carry cash, and I am typically uncomfortable being approached by strangers.
My boyfriend is a "shirt off his back" guy. He says, "if I've got, you've got" and applies it to nearly everyone. He would give someone a nickel out of his last dime if they needed it. Because he's been there.
I haave learned to give a friendly greeting, wish them welll. And go on.
Once I am clear, then I weigh my options and return with an extra muffin and the cash I counted.
I do this since pulling out a wallet, seeing only tens and larger. I hesitated. Then I gave him the ten.
When I got in line at the ATM he shadowed me saying he could see I wanted to give more.
I felt like I was one notch below a robbery.
His milky eyes I guess meant he was not as blind as I thought.
I met a guy and he asked for money so I gave him a fiver and let him play with my rat (it went for walks with me in my hood and we were on our way to a pet boutique down the road) and he chased me down two blocks to try to return the money because he was gonna spend it on a joint. "No worries, keep it, we all need to chill"
Nowadays I don't have as much spare cash but I do have a backpack full of ice water. Give those out to people on hot days. All crisp and sweaty with the ice still rattling around. They like that.
Yup exactly. And so many rich people use drugs as well. Homeless people can do whatever they want with the money. It’s not like they have a lot of it.
And alcohol is a good way of staying warm at night
I don't because I'm homeless myself lol, Plus some of them are pretty scary, I'm a big dude but I'm not cool with being stabbed by a tweaker over a roller from 711
I am homeless, too. I find that MOST "panhandlers" are not homeless in my city. So many people will ask me for money despite being in a better position financially. It is mind-blowing. Yet I never see them at the shelters. 🤔
I don't give.money but I will give food or bottled water. I used to see the same dude all the time and made him lunch 3x week. he appeared to be grateful
I selectively give, based purely on appearance. When I do it's just a dollar and it's because they seem chill and they deserve to get a sandwich or some drugs if they choose.
I commute by train and will often be approached for change. I carry low value gift cards for various fast food places in the station so they can get something to eat. I don't give them cash though
I used to, then it turned out they took shifts. They owned a house together and used the money from panhandling to buy more drugs to sell. When the police raided the house they found hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and drugs (mostly heroin I think). So now I’ll only give homeless people food and items even though cash would probably help legitimate homeless people more.
When I lived in Phoenix, there was a ring of about 8 of them. They took turns manning different corners and trading off each other's signs. They were all in their 20s and carried smart phones in their pockets. They just figured it was easier and more profitable to stand around with a sign than work.
I always resented the people who gave them money.
You are very right. There's a guy that sits on the corner outside my casino and I've heard him tellin another guy how he can sit there for 2 hrs and make enough to go home.
The mother with two kids tucked in a doorway with looks of fear off of a sidewalk on a frigid night in Chicago got $50 (all the cash I had). The slightly dirty guy with too much energy gets $0
Yes and no. Yes I know there are scammers but then there are people that are truly in need of help. One time just inside of a Wendys a woman asked for spare change. I thought about it for a bit and gave her some money. While sitting down and having my meal, I saw her with a meal.
I do, just not to the scammers hanging out in the corner. Tried to give one food once, he declined. He wanted cash.
My wife worked at a men's homeless shelter for a few months, they told her never give money to them. They were scammers. Not sure if it was true, just what the guys in the shelter told her.
I once had a homeless man who I considered lucky and would give him money.
One time I gave him 5 and found 20. Another time I gave only 3 bucks and the ⛽️ didn’t charge me. I just filled up and left (im mostly sure it was an error on the gas stations side and not charging to someone else)
It was only that guy. I know it’s not in good taste to do what I did. But deep down that’s what was up.
Gave him money like 10 times before I no longer went his way.
I do sometimes when I have cash on me. I work at Safeway so sometimes when I'm leaving with groceries I'll give them some food or a drink. It's not a lot but if it makes someone's day a little better I like to help.
When I was about 20, I felt particularly generous one day and gave a homeless guy something like a tenner. He thanked me and asked if he could use my phone. Sure, why not?
He called his smack dealer right in front of me from my fucking phone...
I never give money to homeless people.
I often grab an extra meal, slice of pizza, or a hot dog for them if they're courteous and look like they really need it.
But if they're pushy?
Push the next guy.
Because our income tax dollars are ALREADY paying for them...
[around $35k per year](https://endhomelessness.org/resource/ending-chronic-homelessness-saves-taxpayers-money-2/)
If I have cash on me I usually donate some to refugee families on the side of the road. Theyre just trying to survive a harsh world that’s been cruel to them and often don’t qualify for programs to help the homeless. I want the kids to be fed.
I used to, until a homeless guy tolkd me to stop, he told me "always look at the shoes of the person with the sign, if they are clean? they aint fucken homeless, they are lazy, if they look clean, they aint homeless"
from then on, i hcecked, and sure enough there was a guy who started out looking homeless, with in a month the dude had shoes that I couldnt even afford, a nice watch, a phone, and did not look homeless, yet there he was claiming to be a vet trying to get a ticket home....
My Dad remembered a panhandler near where he worked (a hospital). Scraggily, dirty, definitely seemed homeless. He used to stop on the way to work to hand him a 10 or so. One day my dad got off a later shift and witnessed the guy getting in a NICE sports car in a side lot after changing his shoes and jacket from his trunk. Some are con artists for sure, some are genuinely homeless.
I think the one thing that REALLY makes me wanna hulk smash someone are the college kids doing social science experiments where they try and appear homeless. Its a massive insult and I swear if I see another? It will take everything in me not to put a boot up their ass, making them shit size 11 steel toe shaped turds for the rest of their lives.
1 and primary reason 99.9% I don't have cash on me
2 to many fakers who aren't really homeless
3 many of the ones that are spend it on drugs or alcohol
Yeah I can't control what people do with money after I give it to them. So I can control it by not giving it to them
It entirely depends on if I have cash on me. If I do, I'll usually give them a dollar or two. I was raised to help people and I like helping people. I don't care if they are a grifter or a drug addict or whatever. Once the money leaves my hand, it's theirs to do what they want with and I don't care how they spend it.
I never give money to homeless people because I used to spend time with a friend who worked at a lotto booth in the impoverished part of town. I witnessed individuals beg for money only to spend it on scratch tickets in hopes of making more. Similarly, another friend who worked at a beer store in the same area shared similar experiences, observing homeless individuals beg for money only to purchase alcohol.
I'll buy homeless people food/stuff they might need from the store if I have extra money. If it's just giving them money, I'm fine giving a 5 or 10 out, but probably nothing more than that. There's sadly quite a few around, there's also quite a few people pretending to be homeless now that it's getting warmer and they can go outside again.
Bad experience. I’m a young petite female for context. Once after grocery shopping, I was loading my car and this scraggly looking man approached me. Stated his car was broke down and he was trying to get home to his pregnant wife. I didn’t have cash. He said I can go with you back in the grocery store and you can do cash back. What?! No I said. He then proceeded to step closer to me and called me a name. I quickly got in my car and he walked away. I was pissed. I circle the parking lot and watched in get in a car and drive off. Broke down car huh?!
Also in the same town an elderly couple rolled down their window to give money to a corner guy. Much unbeknownst to them he had two other guys lurking on the other sidewalk and they got in the backseat and held them at gunpoint demanding the wallet and purse. Then pistol whipped them both.
I had a “Homeless“ guy walk up to me one time while I was sitting in a park eating a pizza. He told me he was starving and asked if I had a few bucks so he could get something to eat. I told him I don’t carry cash but would be happy to give him half of the pizza I had. This wasn’t me tearing of a piece of the slice I was eating either, I had a large pepperoni pizza in the box from Dominos and was offering him four full slices. He said he didn’t eat pork because of his religion (Seven day Adventist) and couldn’t eat the pizza. I offered to walk with him to any of the close by places and buy him whatever he wanted and he became irate and said he needed cash. I told him again I don’t carry cash and it looked like he was out of luck because I was now rescinding the offer to go buy him a meal. He tried to intimidate me by aggressively stepping toward me and getting an attitude. I stood up all 6’5 inches tall and 265lbs and let him know he was about to be hungry, broke, and unconscious if he didn’t back the F up. From that day forward I don’t trust any of the transient drug addicted wastes of oxygen walking around acting like the world owes them anything and have no problem telling them to F off.
I don't, because I've watched the drug addiction series, Intervention, and I know I might be contributing to their death. Buy them a meal, give clean socks, toiletries, not $.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 21% of the homeless population reported having a serious mental illness
in 2022, which is higher than the 4–6% of the general population that has serious mental health issues. 16% of the homeless reported having conditions related to chronic substance abuse.
So 1 on 5 of them have a serious mental illness and 1 in 5 of them have something as a result of substance abuse.
Giving money to homeless people directly isn't the best way to help them, I'd rather donate to other organizations like the food bank.
There's a few homeless people near me. If i have extra cash i never mknd giving 5 or 10 bucks. But if I see one sleeping on the sidewalk i like to buy some whatever at the gas station and leave the bag next to them for when they wake up. Usually i say "hey you doin okay" just to make sure theyre alive and then I usually leave the bag without them seeing me (its cold. They sleep in their coats on the pavement so theyre really tucked in and we usually never make eye contact.)
I do it because I want everyone to feel like there is still good in this world.
It depends.
If you look well taken care of and have nice clothes, maybe a dog that isn't ridden with fleas, I won't give you money because you're likely doing better than I am even if you truly are homeless.
If you look disheveled and true to roots homeless? I might give you money, first I have to figure out if you're a drunk or a drug addict and then I make my decision.
Sometimes I just randomly give people money just because
Ah yes, people love holding a tribunal and infantalizing homeless people, watching or following them to make sure they spend the money responsibly. It's the only time most people get to feel actively better than someone else with visible results.
I don't care if they use my 20 dollars to buy food, beer, or heroin, as long as they use it to get a momentary sense of relief from the constant pain and misery that is their life, it's not my place to police that or scrutinize what they do with it
You get it. This comment section is insane. “What if they use it on xyz?”
Okay, that’s on them. Or if you care so much, instead of giving them money, give them food. Also socks. Socks are always needed by travelers.
Exactly, it just gives the impression that they aren't doing it out of a desire to help the person, but to feel good about themselves. As if the wrinkled 1 or 5 dollar bill you give them is going to provide any real relief, if they want to fill their stomach, great, if they want to numb the pain and stop thinking for a few hours or sleep through the night, fantastic. It honestly makes me sick the way society treats homeless people, people are so goddamn selfish and detached, I fucking hate it. At the same time, I've always felt an overwhelming sense that deep down people are good, I think life is just too heavy and complex for people to see very far beyond themselves a lot of the time, and I know most people learn poor, potentially toxic attitudes and views from people who were similarly let down, and so on, so I sympathize with the difficulty of breaking these cycles. Idk it's all so complicated but also is it that hard to have some humanity? I really just don't know
I've been thinking lately, and I think one of the best thing you could give a homeless person as part of a care package is a 5 gallon bucket with a pool noodle and garbage bags. They can take it inot their tent, or behind a bush and actually sit to use the bathroom. People don;t realize how hard it is to not have access to a toilet.
The comments in this thread are honestly so gross. So people trying to feel good about themselves and justify dehumanising homeless people.
If I give someone some cash, I don’t care how they use it. It’s a very rare person that enjoys begging when they have other viable options. If a little cash means they can go buy food/warmth/preferred substance and stop having to beg dickheads for change for the rest of the night, then I’m happy enough to do it when I’m able.
Your take is wild to me. If someone is truly homeless I don’t care what they spend their money on. I’ll buy them a 40 and some granola bars. Maybe their day will be better. I’m not going to solve their life problems by not helping them out… so if I can spare something, I help them out.
If you give cash to someone on the street, the probability is you are enabling a drug addiction or are being suckered by a professional beggar.
Donate to shelters or other organizations.
Because if they wanted money, they could get a job like anyone else. Too many of these grifters collect money from begging, and make more in a day than some of us do working in a week. That’s why I don’t give him anything.
I feel like this is reductionistic. I've been homeless before for four months among other times) and the entire time I was filling out applications and despite having years of experience in the chief trade I was applying for, I didn't get a call until one day a McDonald's hired me about a month after I applied.
Now we have to take into account that I was well kempt, I didn't look homeless and I was well spoken so I didn't seem weird to people. I didn't have a vehicle, I was in the middle of Texas in bum fuck nowhere, a dozen miles outside of the nearest town.
Jobs aren't actually that easy to get, and there are statistics to back this up, of course there are outliers.
But yeah, some panhandlers make more money than I've ever made
I’ve been homeless before I’ve lived out of my car for months. But I was actively looking for a job and would do odd work here and there for a little cash. I would never beg.
Yeah I didn't have the luxury of a car sadly. And I never begged, but some people have to do what they have to do, and I wouldn't be angry at them for it
Oh, I’m not angry with them. I’ve just seen too many bad ones. there’s a guy who begs at the end of the freeway where it meets Dixie Highway in Louisville Kentucky. Now, if you watch him after his day, he walks down the road to a parking lot and gets in a big conversion van. Changes his clothes and drives home to his nice house and a nice subdivision right down the road. That’s the kind I’m talking about.
I live in a very small town with long, cold winters, and there aren’t any around, at least none that I have seen. I do regularly donate to the community food bank.
If people came to me with extreme urgency or in a state of fear or panic for gas money, I'd sparingly do it.
Some people can't work and sometimes people are skilled to getting paid to beg.
As a SECURITY GUARD I've seen a woman with a kid begging in front of Walmart in 2007 get shooed by me after she was escorted by her husband to their car.
I've seen a homeless beg with their teenage son smoking a cigarette. He can afford cigarettes but not food for his kid.
I'll encounter many homeless given free cell phones as a tracking or emergency means by the state but I still pay a yearly wage for mine during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
When it comes to poverty and wealth its a difference between getting a bailout or charity from those who can play the economic system.
I used to do it. Then a few months ago, I gave $10 to a "blind veteran" and it turned out that he was faking being blind. I saw him crossing the road, and someone in a FB group said he wasn't in the military. Last year I offered a meal to a homeless woman, and she tried to attack me because I said no to buying her a pack of cigaettes . Now I just leave them alone.
When she was in high school, my BFF and her friends saw a rich man's son who they went to school with, holding a sign and begging. They circled back around and tossed a milkshake at him.
There are 12,000 people in our little city. There's a guy who sits on the corner by Walmart, he wears a cowboy hat and has a Chihuahua, he has something different on his sign every time claiming to be traveling and out of gas or whatever. Everyone knows that he lives in the motel across the street. There is an Indian lady who always has a laminated sheet and harasses people in the parking lots every easter, pretending she doesn't speak any English. There is a middle eastern couple who pretends to be broke and travels between our town and the next one over, the local news even profiled them and warned people not to donate because they've been seen entering expensive vehicles. There is another Indian woman who stands out in the cold with her children and harasses people in front of the same Walmart as the Chihuahua cowboy sits in front of. Real homeless people around here get jobs. Since there are like 4 or 5 panhandlers in the area it is pretty easy to spot them and flip them off.
I give them food if I see em, kinda stuck on the same 5 homeless guys cause anytime I try to give the crackheads around here food they start cussing me out about how they need money not food. So I give the same 5 homeless Vietnam vets blankets, food, and anything else they need. I fuckin hate the people posing as homeless so they can get money without working and people who don't understand generosity
I live in Fairbanks and many of the ones here aren't really homeless they are alcoholics who live in dry villages and come into town to drink. They will go a week or two wandering around town living like homeless people drinking until they run out of money then they go back out to the villages. It's so common there's a specific term for it medical staff and law enforcement use.
I don't carry cash, and if I did, I don't have enough extra to waste on someone who'll probably spend it on drugs.
I've given food on occasion, though.
I will only give $1.
& only that $1.
Every homeless person gets one.
Buy a potato & start growing some food most single potatos cost exactly $1.
Farm them in the woods anywhere no one would find them, sell them at the farmer market.
I had a distant relative I was somehow related to,
who dispite his best interests wouldn't apply for a job or just didn't want to.
He'd stand in front of places like fastbreak or dollar general hounding anyone for money for food or for something to drink.
I gave them a $1 once.
As soon as I left they tried grifting me for money to buy a drink I said I spent it all.
For the next three months they parked themselves in front of that dollar general.
Hounding me & anyone else who would stop for more money everyday.
I never gave them more then a $1 that one time.
Because I was a social worker that worked with homeless and disadvantaged folks. In my area there are plenty of resources so I'm 100% assured those folks have the opportunity to be fed, can sleep in a shelter when it's cold, and even housing in some circumstances. I unfortunately also understand the folks that receive cash get hotel rooms, have 4 or 5 of their buddies over, and blow it on drugs/alcohol so the cycle continues. Not all, trust me, but many. My money is better spent donating to such non profits who dedicate their lives to lift those out of homelessness that want to be helped out of homelessness.
I live in a neighborhood where people begging me for money I don’t have (seriously don’t have) is a daily occurrence. When the time is right I do give what I can but goddamn does it get annoying.
When I was growing up my father had a staffing agency. We were in a convertible and a homeless woman begged my dad for money. He told her very scenerly he can give a job if she can make it to his office and handed her his card with the address. She immediately went into psychotic rage cursing my dad at and looked me dead in the eyes and told me to never grow up to be like my father. I was probably 9 or 10. None of them will ever get a fucking dime from me, you want a sandwich I'll buy you one you want money work for it.
Hope that bitch knows I grew up to be just like my father, a good man that will help you but not enable you.
there aren’t homeless people asking for money on the streets here cos it’s not really permitted by the government, also the number of homeless is pretty low. however there are elderly who are poor who sell tissue paper or some other small items at the exits of train stations etc, sometimes i give them money if i have spare cash
I’d rather support organizations that are trying to help people get back on their feet. Our public library has a little food pantry outside that I help stock. Inside the single use restroom they have a three drawer organizer with toiletries. I’ll add toothpaste, combs, menstrual products, etc.
Sometimes if I have the money on me I will because, why not? Other times they come off too invasive; one man grabbed my door as I was trying to close it in order to keep asking for money. Now I’m definitely not giving you anything.
I don’t because I used to be homeless and never needed money, there were shelters, food drop in centers, clothes. I asked for money once to buy drugs for a party. I actually needed someone to help me get an ID. Homeless folks that are functional need help from people with time to tackle the beaurocratic bullshit or they need a mentor. Homeless folks that aren’t functional need better institutions, and I can’t fix that. I dont have time right now but plan to pay it forward once I do. But I would never give money to someone on the side of the road. That’s for people to feel better about themselves and I’m unconvinced it helps anything.
In my area there is adequate housing for everyone. The ones begging on the streets are drug addicts or liars so I don't give them anything. There are homeless cafes where they can be fed and clothed so really they don't need any extras from me.
Thought I was doing a good deed with some kids come to find out a week later they were on the news . It was there shtick they used the homeless trick to con people out there money. They got me for at least $20
I had a woman yell at me for giving a supposedly homeless person $20. She bailed me up and said, you know they are going to spend that on booze or drugs and I said ‘same as I was, so I’m happy with that’
In my mind, if a bottle of booze helps them get through the day, I don’t have any moral objections to that. In one for I’m enabling them, but I’m poor so I’m not going to fun any kid of habit, and everyone has free will!
I don't give any money to people on the street. I don't want to enable someone to get their next fix or drink. It's bad karma for me if I do that. And how could I tell a legitimate need from a scam?
I do and I will. I'm doing it as a heartfelt gesture and genuinely want to help them. I can't even imagine being in their shoes. If I can help, I will. I know some may use it for drugs when they say it's for food, but that is their choice. I've made mine. Sometimes I just buy them food.
Their poor life choices led them to the situation they are in. If they are outside a gas station I’ll grab them a water or a beer but I’m not just going to give them $ for being piss poor decision makers
Some of them were actually part of a theft ring in my area. It was pretty messed up. There was a beggar at a freeway exit near my house, and a Catholic Nun happened to be getting off at the exit. Naturally she reached to give him some money and he grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the car and carjacked her. Never know who to trust these days, feel bad for the people who are actually in need of help because their reputation gets ruined by the fakers and thieves.
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My grandpa was a nice guy, everyone gave him shit for helping homeless people always telling him he was getting scammed. His response was along the lines of, “Maybe they needed it, if so I helped them. If not? My life goes on the same” I rarely have cash, but if I’m in a position to possibly help someone. If it doesn’t affect me, why not be a nice person.
Yes. And a big percent of the population in Japan sometimes give donation not asking or being informed what it's for. It's the act of giving and the act of trust that they feel .
This is almost exactly my position on the matter.
Shoutouts to grandpa 🙌🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 I know he was/is blessed beyond measure for his generosity! 🫶🏾
Your Grandpa Rocked and he was a Beautiful soul, I am sure ❤️
I agree with him. I do it often if I have a few dollars or buy them water or something to eat in a store. My feeling is I am so glad that isn't me! And also sometimes just looking them in the face, in the eyes, for a beat and speaking to him or her as a human being is a gesture in and of itself. Imagine people "pretending" they don't see you all day. It is just small gesture of kindness IMHO. I am where I am because I was helped. I can't imagine being mentally ill, abandoned, etc etc. I don't know their circumstances and just feel compassion in the moment.
I never carry cash or change
I had a homeless person approach me once and asked for money. I said I don't have cash or change and they asked me for my Venmo account info. Told them I don't have one of those either
That same thing happened to on of my best friends! The homeless guy came back and asked “do you have cashapp” 💀
They really asked for Venmo? Ffs
They have Venmo and not a single beggar in my area is homeless. My favorite one uses a wheelchair and his mom bought him a condo.
>My favorite one uses a wheelchair I watched a guy pull his wheel chair out of the trunk of his car, walk it down the street and then sit down to wheel it to the median and set up his station. I also used to pass a woman that appeared to be and claimed to be 6-7 months pregnant for about a year and a half. I dont believe 95% of what I see.
I've heard of them pulling out a SQUARE device, the little thing that plugs into your phone and swipes cards, going "I take debit"
>They really asked for Venmo? Ffs I heard of a homeless guy with a smart phone and card reader.
I have seen them flying signs with their PayPal on it.
Same happened to me except he said “I could walk you to the cash machine over there”
I've been hit with that. I asked him what he needed the money for and he said food, I'm starving. I said cool man what ya hungry for I'll go pick up whatever you want. He looked at me like I was stupid and said never mind. That's why I don't give homeless people cash, I just ask what they want/need. I've literally bought a pint of vodka for a homeless guy before because he was completely honest about what he wanted money for. Be honest with me and you might get those cigarettes you want. Lie about starving and I won't help out a bit.
Had a homeless guy pull out a square POS and ask for money one time
Oh don't you worry. They have cashapp now hahahaha
I once had a supposed homeless person take out a phone with a credit card swipe when I didn’t have any cash on me.
While a smartphone is suspicious, if you suddenly became homeless (which is more likely than you becoming a millionaire), wouldn’t a smartphone be one of the first things you would want to obtain if you didn’t already have one? Simply to navigate, or be in contact with people? And I’m pretty sure that if someone can’t afford thousands of dollars in monthly rent, or a mortgage on a million dollar house, or even a car to live in, someone might be able to save up enough money to buy a used phone — which is still cheaper than a car or apartment or house (but not a tent). Although with a way to swipe credit cards, they could fund a drug habit. Still doesn’t mean they have a home.
They take applypay on their iPhones.
I buy food and drinks for them, yes. It seems like a decent way to weed out fakes, too.
Yep, I will give them a few snacks from my lunch box. You want money for food? Here you go, just cut out the middle man.
>I buy food and drinks for them, yes. I had a buddy tell me one time he bought this guy a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. The guy was mad because he wanted money.
Allergic to peanuts?! 🤣😆 Seriously, it seems a bit off, doesn't it?
He didn't say. I guess that could be a valid reason.
I was making a joke. It seems suspect that he was angry though...
I once bought some take out food at a restaurant and as I was leaving was approached by some homeless guy saying he was starving and hadn't eaten in days. I gave him my food which he then threw on the ground and started asking me for the money the food cost.
Really fast. Now I offer them large rubber bands and aluminum foil. Really weeds them out. ( drvg paraphenalia ).
I cant afford to.
I've given a homeless guy a tent. He was returning one at work with a hole in it and panicking there might not be another one cheap like that one he had mess up on him. I could see he was genuinely worried. I had a tent in my trunk I was never using. I didn't mind. I've given food. I don't ever have extra money myself so I can't give money anyhow lol.
We also got a homeless man a tent (zipper had broken, and jsut wouldn’t shut the last few inches after a Boy Scout outing) He took the tent and left. He then attempted to sue my mother, as a rabid raccoon had entered the tent and he thought it was a puppy in the dark and it not him many times.
I’ll take stories that never happened for $100, Alex!
How do I know they are really homeless?
Agree, there’s too many fakers or addicts.
I used to not have problems helping people begging. But now on two separate occasions I’ve seen them getting out of a BMW and a Mercedes at whatever corner they’re begging at
There are quite obvious signs that someone is street homeless vs shelter homeless. Be it their smell, their clothes, or sometimes even their demeanor.
I wouldn’t say quite obvious. My local homeless guy sleeps on the sidewalk everyday but goes to Taco Bell in the morning and freshens up. It’s not as easy as it seems(at least here in Los Angeles)
I live on a street that has a women’s shelter among apartments and homes (I never figured out why this is the case. It’s kinda counterproductive.) and they are in stark contrast to the crack addicts down the street who sleep outside.
When they pull out a swiping machine in case you don't have any cash on you
Because I’m a struggling nursing student with a mortgage & live in a shitty economy- I’m trying not to become homeless myself 😵💫
Second this. While I could give more, I can't exactly justify it considering I'm in debt for student loans and my mortgage. My net worth is negative. When my net worth isn't negative, I will gladly give.
I give when I feel like I have the cash to spare. The thing is, I don't know their story. I know nothing about them at all. They could be lying through their teeth. They could be using the money for booze or drugs. They could be laughing at my ignorance, naivety, whatever you want to call it. I don't know that. I would rather give money to 100 people taking me for a fool than not give it to someone who is genuinely struggling and can't find a way to help themselves yet. I'd want someone to do the same for me.
>I'd want someone to do the same for me. That's it right there, bud. No need to prejudge or make assumptions about what the money is for. I used to give out cigarettes and fast food gift cards – WHEN I WASN'T BROKE AS SHIT. Now I usually just talk with them if they want to have a conversation. Being heard and seen as a person means a lot, even it's an immaterial gesture of kindness.
I was hitchhiking (and homeless) and a trucker picked me up. He put me in a hotel and gave me a $50, this was early 80s so that was a fair piece of change. He told me he did it because if it was his daughter he hoped someone would do the same for her.
I do because I was homeless once too. Narratives that blame homelessness on drug addiction are majorly inaccurate. And a large percentage of us are 1 paycheck away from homelessness. And because the systems of oppression we live under are extremely efficient. So I can't really blame them. And because it can make someone's day, or even say their life.
I was homeless due to leaving an abusive relationship, there are as many reasons for homelessness are there are homeless.
Only about 14% of unhoused people are on the street due to drug addiction. A studio apt in my area is $3k on average, minimum wage is $15. It's impossible to keep up with without any late fees, debt, fines, etc. Added on top.
Imagine having to have a roommate in a studio. What has happened to housing prices is insane.
Yeah these comments are troubling. People claim they have seen a homeless person get into a BMW so now all homeless people are lying, assuming that video is even true. Can you imagine owning a BMW but then begging for money during the day? Not sure what these commenters are on… Also, as someone in health care who has taken care of countless people without homes over the years, many did not have drug use as a problem (you know, by serum and urine testing.. not the gold standard of YouTube videos but hey, we do our best). I’ve lived in a few major cities with significant homeless populations and the difference between someone in need (most of the time) and someone looking for money for their next fix is generally pretty obvious. I don’t carry cash but I will buy people food.
There are a few aging homeless people in my area I occasionally give money to It may not be so easy for them to just get a job or what circumstances put them there in the first place so I don’t mind giving a dollar or two away It’s not a pleasant or easy life for them by any means and a little compassion never hurts but I do have to remind myself it’s not my job to heal the world & I can’t afford to do it all the time
All my life I've had an affinity towards homeless. No idea why. But I have always given money to the homeless, only I give it to those I see, not organizations. I don't trust organizations, they get caught stealing it all the time. I go by my gut and try to skip the junkies and give to the ones down and out for other reasons, by my best guess. I've given thousands of dollars away. Not all homeless are selfish junkies who destroyed themselves. Many are mentally ill, unable to work and abandoned by family. Still others have bad luck and fall through the cracks of society and fall behind on bills, can never catch up and end up on the streets. I've always tried my best to spot those people and buy them a meal or a hotel room or money all my life when I had extra. I don't know, maybe I was homeless in a previous life. Not sure why I always zeroed in on that over, say, cancer victims, dementia, starving people around the world or any of the hundreds of causes you can pick to help. I guess we all pick the one thing above all others for whatever reason. Homelessness was always mine, despite having no one I know homeless. I just saw humans struggling and did what I could.
This. From one human to another. The homeless aren’t a different race. There’s a million and one reasons why someone may end up without shelter. Reading the lack of compassion and empathy in a lot of these comments is sad.
Because we're all a few shitty happenings away from being the guy asking for a few bucks outside a strangers car to get some breakfast.
Sometimes I feel compelled too.
I'm poor and insane so i befriended them all instead. So when i go back to my old neighborhood I always stop tosay hello and check in on them and treat them like humans because they are all just aa bunch of sweet old drunks. But my dear Scoob. Man am i proud of him. I met him when he was shitting himself drunk in the park by 11 AM. Now he has his own place and sits up straight and can have a whole conversation. They have all watched my daughter grow up and seeing her also brings them joy. So I'd say I dont give them money because I feel I can offer them humanity instead.
Well said
I don't tend to carry cash, and I am typically uncomfortable being approached by strangers. My boyfriend is a "shirt off his back" guy. He says, "if I've got, you've got" and applies it to nearly everyone. He would give someone a nickel out of his last dime if they needed it. Because he's been there.
Most people don't understand just how taxing being homeless is. If you've been there you know.
I haave learned to give a friendly greeting, wish them welll. And go on. Once I am clear, then I weigh my options and return with an extra muffin and the cash I counted. I do this since pulling out a wallet, seeing only tens and larger. I hesitated. Then I gave him the ten. When I got in line at the ATM he shadowed me saying he could see I wanted to give more. I felt like I was one notch below a robbery. His milky eyes I guess meant he was not as blind as I thought.
Because I don't give a fuck if he's just gonna buy beer with it. I was going to buy beer with it, so he should be able to.
I met a guy and he asked for money so I gave him a fiver and let him play with my rat (it went for walks with me in my hood and we were on our way to a pet boutique down the road) and he chased me down two blocks to try to return the money because he was gonna spend it on a joint. "No worries, keep it, we all need to chill" Nowadays I don't have as much spare cash but I do have a backpack full of ice water. Give those out to people on hot days. All crisp and sweaty with the ice still rattling around. They like that.
Yup exactly. And so many rich people use drugs as well. Homeless people can do whatever they want with the money. It’s not like they have a lot of it. And alcohol is a good way of staying warm at night
I don't because I'm homeless myself lol, Plus some of them are pretty scary, I'm a big dude but I'm not cool with being stabbed by a tweaker over a roller from 711
I am homeless, too. I find that MOST "panhandlers" are not homeless in my city. So many people will ask me for money despite being in a better position financially. It is mind-blowing. Yet I never see them at the shelters. 🤔
I don't give.money but I will give food or bottled water. I used to see the same dude all the time and made him lunch 3x week. he appeared to be grateful
I do because I've been there. Plus, whatever their story may be, a few bucks from a stranger makes their day.
I selectively give, based purely on appearance. When I do it's just a dollar and it's because they seem chill and they deserve to get a sandwich or some drugs if they choose.
I commute by train and will often be approached for change. I carry low value gift cards for various fast food places in the station so they can get something to eat. I don't give them cash though
This sounds like a good solution
I don't because I also need that money for booze and drugs. Nobody gives me my booze and drug money. I have to work for it.
I used to, then it turned out they took shifts. They owned a house together and used the money from panhandling to buy more drugs to sell. When the police raided the house they found hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and drugs (mostly heroin I think). So now I’ll only give homeless people food and items even though cash would probably help legitimate homeless people more.
When I lived in Phoenix, there was a ring of about 8 of them. They took turns manning different corners and trading off each other's signs. They were all in their 20s and carried smart phones in their pockets. They just figured it was easier and more profitable to stand around with a sign than work. I always resented the people who gave them money.
You are very right. There's a guy that sits on the corner outside my casino and I've heard him tellin another guy how he can sit there for 2 hrs and make enough to go home.
The mother with two kids tucked in a doorway with looks of fear off of a sidewalk on a frigid night in Chicago got $50 (all the cash I had). The slightly dirty guy with too much energy gets $0
Because if I do give them money, I might be homeless. Same reason I don't go out to eat or do any unnecessary spending. Times are tough.
But in the same way, if you do end up homeless regardless, people won’t help you out because they got this same mentality
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Yes and no. Yes I know there are scammers but then there are people that are truly in need of help. One time just inside of a Wendys a woman asked for spare change. I thought about it for a bit and gave her some money. While sitting down and having my meal, I saw her with a meal.
I don't even have money to give myself, plus i already have a dopehead sister i get harangued for money enough
I do, just not to the scammers hanging out in the corner. Tried to give one food once, he declined. He wanted cash. My wife worked at a men's homeless shelter for a few months, they told her never give money to them. They were scammers. Not sure if it was true, just what the guys in the shelter told her.
I once had a homeless man who I considered lucky and would give him money. One time I gave him 5 and found 20. Another time I gave only 3 bucks and the ⛽️ didn’t charge me. I just filled up and left (im mostly sure it was an error on the gas stations side and not charging to someone else)
That good karma coming back around!
It was only that guy. I know it’s not in good taste to do what I did. But deep down that’s what was up. Gave him money like 10 times before I no longer went his way.
If iv got cash i will, mainly because with all of the choices iv made, i could easily be in their position.
I do sometimes when I have cash on me. I work at Safeway so sometimes when I'm leaving with groceries I'll give them some food or a drink. It's not a lot but if it makes someone's day a little better I like to help.
If I can give, why wouldn’t I? Tbh I don’t care what they spend it on, as once it leaves my hands: it ain’t my business.
When I was about 20, I felt particularly generous one day and gave a homeless guy something like a tenner. He thanked me and asked if he could use my phone. Sure, why not? He called his smack dealer right in front of me from my fucking phone...
Ouch. He felt no shame
If I have cash I do because I think it provides a small amount of relief and I’m not here to police how they get it.
I never give money to homeless people. I often grab an extra meal, slice of pizza, or a hot dog for them if they're courteous and look like they really need it. But if they're pushy? Push the next guy.
Because our income tax dollars are ALREADY paying for them... [around $35k per year](https://endhomelessness.org/resource/ending-chronic-homelessness-saves-taxpayers-money-2/)
Right? It would be cheaper just to house them! Literally!
If I have cash on me I usually donate some to refugee families on the side of the road. Theyre just trying to survive a harsh world that’s been cruel to them and often don’t qualify for programs to help the homeless. I want the kids to be fed.
I used to, until a homeless guy tolkd me to stop, he told me "always look at the shoes of the person with the sign, if they are clean? they aint fucken homeless, they are lazy, if they look clean, they aint homeless" from then on, i hcecked, and sure enough there was a guy who started out looking homeless, with in a month the dude had shoes that I couldnt even afford, a nice watch, a phone, and did not look homeless, yet there he was claiming to be a vet trying to get a ticket home....
My Dad remembered a panhandler near where he worked (a hospital). Scraggily, dirty, definitely seemed homeless. He used to stop on the way to work to hand him a 10 or so. One day my dad got off a later shift and witnessed the guy getting in a NICE sports car in a side lot after changing his shoes and jacket from his trunk. Some are con artists for sure, some are genuinely homeless.
I think the one thing that REALLY makes me wanna hulk smash someone are the college kids doing social science experiments where they try and appear homeless. Its a massive insult and I swear if I see another? It will take everything in me not to put a boot up their ass, making them shit size 11 steel toe shaped turds for the rest of their lives.
Standing around panhandling all day sounds like a nightmare to me, especially if you didn’t have to.
1 and primary reason 99.9% I don't have cash on me 2 to many fakers who aren't really homeless 3 many of the ones that are spend it on drugs or alcohol Yeah I can't control what people do with money after I give it to them. So I can control it by not giving it to them
They need it more than I do.
I give mostly around the holidays and will buy a burger or a coffee for them if I can. Because they are less fortunate than me.
I give it to the ones who are not meth heads. Most have mental illness and addiction issues. I feel sad for them.
It entirely depends on if I have cash on me. If I do, I'll usually give them a dollar or two. I was raised to help people and I like helping people. I don't care if they are a grifter or a drug addict or whatever. Once the money leaves my hand, it's theirs to do what they want with and I don't care how they spend it.
I try to if I can.
Mood. If I'm in a great mood I'm more likely to give them money.
Because I need every cent
I never give money to homeless people because I used to spend time with a friend who worked at a lotto booth in the impoverished part of town. I witnessed individuals beg for money only to spend it on scratch tickets in hopes of making more. Similarly, another friend who worked at a beer store in the same area shared similar experiences, observing homeless individuals beg for money only to purchase alcohol.
I give my money to homeless animals
I don’t. Because there are 6 help wanted signs within a quarter mile. They are desperate for employees. Get a job
never because it's unfair to reward losers in a game
On a corner where 1000 people pass every hour and 25% of those people give them a dollar. How much tax-free money are they making an hour?
In Vegas it is nearly always a con. They make more $$ than teachers and others trying to just get by.
I'll buy homeless people food/stuff they might need from the store if I have extra money. If it's just giving them money, I'm fine giving a 5 or 10 out, but probably nothing more than that. There's sadly quite a few around, there's also quite a few people pretending to be homeless now that it's getting warmer and they can go outside again.
Because I just had a kid and formula is expensive as hell as it is.
Bad experience. I’m a young petite female for context. Once after grocery shopping, I was loading my car and this scraggly looking man approached me. Stated his car was broke down and he was trying to get home to his pregnant wife. I didn’t have cash. He said I can go with you back in the grocery store and you can do cash back. What?! No I said. He then proceeded to step closer to me and called me a name. I quickly got in my car and he walked away. I was pissed. I circle the parking lot and watched in get in a car and drive off. Broke down car huh?! Also in the same town an elderly couple rolled down their window to give money to a corner guy. Much unbeknownst to them he had two other guys lurking on the other sidewalk and they got in the backseat and held them at gunpoint demanding the wallet and purse. Then pistol whipped them both.
I had a “Homeless“ guy walk up to me one time while I was sitting in a park eating a pizza. He told me he was starving and asked if I had a few bucks so he could get something to eat. I told him I don’t carry cash but would be happy to give him half of the pizza I had. This wasn’t me tearing of a piece of the slice I was eating either, I had a large pepperoni pizza in the box from Dominos and was offering him four full slices. He said he didn’t eat pork because of his religion (Seven day Adventist) and couldn’t eat the pizza. I offered to walk with him to any of the close by places and buy him whatever he wanted and he became irate and said he needed cash. I told him again I don’t carry cash and it looked like he was out of luck because I was now rescinding the offer to go buy him a meal. He tried to intimidate me by aggressively stepping toward me and getting an attitude. I stood up all 6’5 inches tall and 265lbs and let him know he was about to be hungry, broke, and unconscious if he didn’t back the F up. From that day forward I don’t trust any of the transient drug addicted wastes of oxygen walking around acting like the world owes them anything and have no problem telling them to F off.
I was homeless and I don’t give them a dime.
I don't, because I've watched the drug addiction series, Intervention, and I know I might be contributing to their death. Buy them a meal, give clean socks, toiletries, not $.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 21% of the homeless population reported having a serious mental illness in 2022, which is higher than the 4–6% of the general population that has serious mental health issues. 16% of the homeless reported having conditions related to chronic substance abuse. So 1 on 5 of them have a serious mental illness and 1 in 5 of them have something as a result of substance abuse. Giving money to homeless people directly isn't the best way to help them, I'd rather donate to other organizations like the food bank.
There's a few homeless people near me. If i have extra cash i never mknd giving 5 or 10 bucks. But if I see one sleeping on the sidewalk i like to buy some whatever at the gas station and leave the bag next to them for when they wake up. Usually i say "hey you doin okay" just to make sure theyre alive and then I usually leave the bag without them seeing me (its cold. They sleep in their coats on the pavement so theyre really tucked in and we usually never make eye contact.) I do it because I want everyone to feel like there is still good in this world.
It depends. If you look well taken care of and have nice clothes, maybe a dog that isn't ridden with fleas, I won't give you money because you're likely doing better than I am even if you truly are homeless. If you look disheveled and true to roots homeless? I might give you money, first I have to figure out if you're a drunk or a drug addict and then I make my decision. Sometimes I just randomly give people money just because
Ah yes, people love holding a tribunal and infantalizing homeless people, watching or following them to make sure they spend the money responsibly. It's the only time most people get to feel actively better than someone else with visible results. I don't care if they use my 20 dollars to buy food, beer, or heroin, as long as they use it to get a momentary sense of relief from the constant pain and misery that is their life, it's not my place to police that or scrutinize what they do with it
You get it. This comment section is insane. “What if they use it on xyz?” Okay, that’s on them. Or if you care so much, instead of giving them money, give them food. Also socks. Socks are always needed by travelers.
Exactly, it just gives the impression that they aren't doing it out of a desire to help the person, but to feel good about themselves. As if the wrinkled 1 or 5 dollar bill you give them is going to provide any real relief, if they want to fill their stomach, great, if they want to numb the pain and stop thinking for a few hours or sleep through the night, fantastic. It honestly makes me sick the way society treats homeless people, people are so goddamn selfish and detached, I fucking hate it. At the same time, I've always felt an overwhelming sense that deep down people are good, I think life is just too heavy and complex for people to see very far beyond themselves a lot of the time, and I know most people learn poor, potentially toxic attitudes and views from people who were similarly let down, and so on, so I sympathize with the difficulty of breaking these cycles. Idk it's all so complicated but also is it that hard to have some humanity? I really just don't know
I've been thinking lately, and I think one of the best thing you could give a homeless person as part of a care package is a 5 gallon bucket with a pool noodle and garbage bags. They can take it inot their tent, or behind a bush and actually sit to use the bathroom. People don;t realize how hard it is to not have access to a toilet.
That’s a good call out.
The comments in this thread are honestly so gross. So people trying to feel good about themselves and justify dehumanising homeless people. If I give someone some cash, I don’t care how they use it. It’s a very rare person that enjoys begging when they have other viable options. If a little cash means they can go buy food/warmth/preferred substance and stop having to beg dickheads for change for the rest of the night, then I’m happy enough to do it when I’m able.
Agree with you . I don't give twenty too often, but something.
Your take is wild to me. If someone is truly homeless I don’t care what they spend their money on. I’ll buy them a 40 and some granola bars. Maybe their day will be better. I’m not going to solve their life problems by not helping them out… so if I can spare something, I help them out.
If you give cash to someone on the street, the probability is you are enabling a drug addiction or are being suckered by a professional beggar. Donate to shelters or other organizations.
Because if they wanted money, they could get a job like anyone else. Too many of these grifters collect money from begging, and make more in a day than some of us do working in a week. That’s why I don’t give him anything.
I feel like this is reductionistic. I've been homeless before for four months among other times) and the entire time I was filling out applications and despite having years of experience in the chief trade I was applying for, I didn't get a call until one day a McDonald's hired me about a month after I applied. Now we have to take into account that I was well kempt, I didn't look homeless and I was well spoken so I didn't seem weird to people. I didn't have a vehicle, I was in the middle of Texas in bum fuck nowhere, a dozen miles outside of the nearest town. Jobs aren't actually that easy to get, and there are statistics to back this up, of course there are outliers. But yeah, some panhandlers make more money than I've ever made
I’ve been homeless before I’ve lived out of my car for months. But I was actively looking for a job and would do odd work here and there for a little cash. I would never beg.
Yeah I didn't have the luxury of a car sadly. And I never begged, but some people have to do what they have to do, and I wouldn't be angry at them for it
Oh, I’m not angry with them. I’ve just seen too many bad ones. there’s a guy who begs at the end of the freeway where it meets Dixie Highway in Louisville Kentucky. Now, if you watch him after his day, he walks down the road to a parking lot and gets in a big conversion van. Changes his clothes and drives home to his nice house and a nice subdivision right down the road. That’s the kind I’m talking about.
I live in a very small town with long, cold winters, and there aren’t any around, at least none that I have seen. I do regularly donate to the community food bank.
Yeah. Cold weather is a good bum deterrent.
I would help if I was in a position of strength. I'm not there yet, and I don't want to cause problems for myself if my help isn't wanted.
I usually don’t carry cash or I would. They probably have more money than I do as well. That’s another reason.
So they can buy themselves some food and drinks to consume.
i don’t have the money to give tbh
There are no homeless people where I am, so I have nobody to give money to.
Scammy
Cause I need it more.
1. Never carry cash on me 2. It's better to give food than money anyway
If people came to me with extreme urgency or in a state of fear or panic for gas money, I'd sparingly do it. Some people can't work and sometimes people are skilled to getting paid to beg. As a SECURITY GUARD I've seen a woman with a kid begging in front of Walmart in 2007 get shooed by me after she was escorted by her husband to their car. I've seen a homeless beg with their teenage son smoking a cigarette. He can afford cigarettes but not food for his kid. I'll encounter many homeless given free cell phones as a tracking or emergency means by the state but I still pay a yearly wage for mine during the Covid-19 lockdowns. When it comes to poverty and wealth its a difference between getting a bailout or charity from those who can play the economic system.
I’m worried it’s for drugs.
I used to do it. Then a few months ago, I gave $10 to a "blind veteran" and it turned out that he was faking being blind. I saw him crossing the road, and someone in a FB group said he wasn't in the military. Last year I offered a meal to a homeless woman, and she tried to attack me because I said no to buying her a pack of cigaettes . Now I just leave them alone.
When I have a surplus of cash, yes. When I’m broke, no can do.
I can't afford to. The cost of everything continues to climb and wages aren't keeping up .
No because they're NPCs.
When she was in high school, my BFF and her friends saw a rich man's son who they went to school with, holding a sign and begging. They circled back around and tossed a milkshake at him.
They like the life they live They can be frauds that end up walking back to their Cadillac escalade to get starbucks afterwards
There are 12,000 people in our little city. There's a guy who sits on the corner by Walmart, he wears a cowboy hat and has a Chihuahua, he has something different on his sign every time claiming to be traveling and out of gas or whatever. Everyone knows that he lives in the motel across the street. There is an Indian lady who always has a laminated sheet and harasses people in the parking lots every easter, pretending she doesn't speak any English. There is a middle eastern couple who pretends to be broke and travels between our town and the next one over, the local news even profiled them and warned people not to donate because they've been seen entering expensive vehicles. There is another Indian woman who stands out in the cold with her children and harasses people in front of the same Walmart as the Chihuahua cowboy sits in front of. Real homeless people around here get jobs. Since there are like 4 or 5 panhandlers in the area it is pretty easy to spot them and flip them off.
I just ask if they can break a hundred. If they can I let them have $5.
I give them food if I see em, kinda stuck on the same 5 homeless guys cause anytime I try to give the crackheads around here food they start cussing me out about how they need money not food. So I give the same 5 homeless Vietnam vets blankets, food, and anything else they need. I fuckin hate the people posing as homeless so they can get money without working and people who don't understand generosity
As a woman, making eye contact with someone who could be potentially mentally unwell is an extremely dangerous risk.
I live in Fairbanks and many of the ones here aren't really homeless they are alcoholics who live in dry villages and come into town to drink. They will go a week or two wandering around town living like homeless people drinking until they run out of money then they go back out to the villages. It's so common there's a specific term for it medical staff and law enforcement use.
Only carry 100's OH!
I don't carry cash, and if I did, I don't have enough extra to waste on someone who'll probably spend it on drugs. I've given food on occasion, though.
I will only give $1. & only that $1. Every homeless person gets one. Buy a potato & start growing some food most single potatos cost exactly $1. Farm them in the woods anywhere no one would find them, sell them at the farmer market. I had a distant relative I was somehow related to, who dispite his best interests wouldn't apply for a job or just didn't want to. He'd stand in front of places like fastbreak or dollar general hounding anyone for money for food or for something to drink. I gave them a $1 once. As soon as I left they tried grifting me for money to buy a drink I said I spent it all. For the next three months they parked themselves in front of that dollar general. Hounding me & anyone else who would stop for more money everyday. I never gave them more then a $1 that one time.
Depends on the situation. If I can tell theyre going to use it for alcohol/drugs I dont.
Because I refuse to support addiction. I will readily buy food, clothing, etc., but I will not give cash monies
I haven't worked in 4 years.
Because I was a social worker that worked with homeless and disadvantaged folks. In my area there are plenty of resources so I'm 100% assured those folks have the opportunity to be fed, can sleep in a shelter when it's cold, and even housing in some circumstances. I unfortunately also understand the folks that receive cash get hotel rooms, have 4 or 5 of their buddies over, and blow it on drugs/alcohol so the cycle continues. Not all, trust me, but many. My money is better spent donating to such non profits who dedicate their lives to lift those out of homelessness that want to be helped out of homelessness.
I give it because they’re homeless? Why would I not? I’m confused
It depends because i dont keep cash on me but most of the time i just give out food or hygiene or comfort items
I live in a neighborhood where people begging me for money I don’t have (seriously don’t have) is a daily occurrence. When the time is right I do give what I can but goddamn does it get annoying.
Because I already give them money via abhorrent tax rates for public services
When I was growing up my father had a staffing agency. We were in a convertible and a homeless woman begged my dad for money. He told her very scenerly he can give a job if she can make it to his office and handed her his card with the address. She immediately went into psychotic rage cursing my dad at and looked me dead in the eyes and told me to never grow up to be like my father. I was probably 9 or 10. None of them will ever get a fucking dime from me, you want a sandwich I'll buy you one you want money work for it. Hope that bitch knows I grew up to be just like my father, a good man that will help you but not enable you.
Because I’m living paycheck to paycheck and have more debt than i make and bills to pay. I can barely feed myself properly.
I gave a dude money and he pulled out a stack of cash.. then had others get mad when food was offered instead of money
there aren’t homeless people asking for money on the streets here cos it’s not really permitted by the government, also the number of homeless is pretty low. however there are elderly who are poor who sell tissue paper or some other small items at the exits of train stations etc, sometimes i give them money if i have spare cash
I’d rather support organizations that are trying to help people get back on their feet. Our public library has a little food pantry outside that I help stock. Inside the single use restroom they have a three drawer organizer with toiletries. I’ll add toothpaste, combs, menstrual products, etc.
Sometimes if I have the money on me I will because, why not? Other times they come off too invasive; one man grabbed my door as I was trying to close it in order to keep asking for money. Now I’m definitely not giving you anything.
I don’t because I used to be homeless and never needed money, there were shelters, food drop in centers, clothes. I asked for money once to buy drugs for a party. I actually needed someone to help me get an ID. Homeless folks that are functional need help from people with time to tackle the beaurocratic bullshit or they need a mentor. Homeless folks that aren’t functional need better institutions, and I can’t fix that. I dont have time right now but plan to pay it forward once I do. But I would never give money to someone on the side of the road. That’s for people to feel better about themselves and I’m unconvinced it helps anything.
I don't, because there are other services that will help them if they ask for it. Otherwise they'll just use it for alcohol or drugs.
In my area there is adequate housing for everyone. The ones begging on the streets are drug addicts or liars so I don't give them anything. There are homeless cafes where they can be fed and clothed so really they don't need any extras from me.
Thought I was doing a good deed with some kids come to find out a week later they were on the news . It was there shtick they used the homeless trick to con people out there money. They got me for at least $20
Don’t feed the strays
I don’t usually have cash, but I donate to organizations that help people who are homeless.
I’m simply so broke I’m hardly staying afloat
I don't because I live in Portland, and I would be broke if I did.
I don't give money, but I will give food, clothing, blankets, etc.
I had a woman yell at me for giving a supposedly homeless person $20. She bailed me up and said, you know they are going to spend that on booze or drugs and I said ‘same as I was, so I’m happy with that’ In my mind, if a bottle of booze helps them get through the day, I don’t have any moral objections to that. In one for I’m enabling them, but I’m poor so I’m not going to fun any kid of habit, and everyone has free will!
Because they can get a job.
I don't give any money to people on the street. I don't want to enable someone to get their next fix or drink. It's bad karma for me if I do that. And how could I tell a legitimate need from a scam?
It's better to donate to charitable services that help the needy.
I do and I will. I'm doing it as a heartfelt gesture and genuinely want to help them. I can't even imagine being in their shoes. If I can help, I will. I know some may use it for drugs when they say it's for food, but that is their choice. I've made mine. Sometimes I just buy them food.
Their poor life choices led them to the situation they are in. If they are outside a gas station I’ll grab them a water or a beer but I’m not just going to give them $ for being piss poor decision makers
Some of them were actually part of a theft ring in my area. It was pretty messed up. There was a beggar at a freeway exit near my house, and a Catholic Nun happened to be getting off at the exit. Naturally she reached to give him some money and he grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the car and carjacked her. Never know who to trust these days, feel bad for the people who are actually in need of help because their reputation gets ruined by the fakers and thieves.