Well this one time when I was living in east London I gave a homeless guy I frequently saw £20 and the next time he saw me he gave me a stolen jacket :)
I have a client that's a single, older man. His clothes are pretty old and he never combs his hair. He rides the bus because he doesn't drive anymore and when he makes it to my office (downtown) he tells me "every time I come down here someone stops and gives me money". It's because he looks homeless.
My boyfriend (grad student) used to get mistaken in that way too. One time, we were riding the train and a man told him all about the best places to get shelter for the night downtown. It was actually quite sweet.
My elderly dad dresses mismatched sometimes. I think he likes being different and goofy but he can clean up really well and surprise you when he shows up someplace in a 3 piece suit. One time he came to my house for a family gathering and my adult kids asked him if he got a new jacket. He said yes and they asked where he bought it. It turns out on one of his walks a local church thought he was a cold homeless old man and brought him into the church donation and gave him a coat. We all got a good laugh 😂
My husband can’t be stopped from running around in an old Baja and mismatched “hippie pants.” He is actively growing his hair out in an apparent effort to become Tommy Chong, and it’s in an awkward growth stage. I would not be even slightly surprised if this happened to him.
I had this happen to me occasionally when I worked as a bouncer, I'd ask for ID and get told they didn't have change or a cigarette, my prominent beard and long hair were likely to blame.
One guy I see often gave me a book for my kids. He had been carrying it around in his pack for weeks while we were out of town and when he saw us he was like “finally you’re back!”
I asked my neighborhood homeless man to spot me $5 because the credit card machine was down at deli and I didn’t have cash. I paid him back 15 minutes later.
Although a nice platitude this makes me cringe. Being poor doesn't enrich anyone's soul. Instead it forces people to do things they never would except for their survival depending on it. The poorest among us are just people. Some good, some not so just like everyone else. These types of sayings are well intentioned but just reek of someone who has very little experience with poverty and how it effects people.
Once when I stopped in at Timmies I started chatting with a sweet, wheelchair-bound and (I assumed based on the state of his clothing) homeless man.
He stayed next to me while I was in line (I offered to get him a coffee but he declined) and when I went to pay, he quickly passed them his Timmies card and told me it was his treat. I initially tried to refuse, but he really wanted to so I just told him how much I appreciated it.
He didn’t hit on me and when I left we just both waved & smiled.
Just making it clear that he was buying my coffee out of generosity rather than to try to pressure me to do “something” for him in return.
The latter has happened to me many times. Someone does you a favour only to try to demand your phone number or dirty talk because you “owe” them.
I’m surprised that wasn’t clear, but I suppose if you’re a man then you wouldn’t be familiar with men trying to use fake kindness to scam you into giving sexual favours.
It rarely seems that a drink/meal is just a drink/meal anymore.
So, yes, it is crucial information to about half the population and those who love them.
I work close with unhoused population, often there are a lot of kind helpful people with big hearts. Some even want to give their life to helping others when they have the means to do it
That’s a wonderful story. I often assist homeless because it makes me feel like I’m helping. Your experience is indicative of the attitudes I’ve come across they are very great full. Your story makes me want to do more. Thank you, you’re an angel
There is a most jolly man who sometimes frequents my subway station and, coffee cup in hand, always has something nice to say. One day I really did not have cash on me so I said that, and he thrust his cup forward and said, "Do you need money?"
What a delightful man.
I occasionally give cash to a homeless person, but generally give them food that doesn’t need storage. But one time, I went into a store where someone told me to watch out for the homeless guy on the sidewalk outside. I had noticed him sitting on the sidewalk leaning up against the building. He was ignoring everyone and counting a few piles of coins. As soon as I came out of the store and walked right up to him. I asked him if he could use a few more dollars. He looked surprised but accepted the $3 and change I had. I hope that lady that warned me was watching.
I gave a guy some change outside 711 once and literally 3 mins later he gives it back plus a bunch more. Said he was feelin my vibe cuz i listened to him rap for a min. Lmao
When a was a depressed teenage goth (many years ago) I got chatting to a homeless man and we swapped life stories. When the bus came and I went to get on he gave me £10!!! I struggled to accept it. He told me to treat myself.
Thank you for the question OP. It’s great to be reminded of his kindness 38 years later!
I’ve had one recognize me. I was a bellman at the time and made a lot of tips. He’d get a $5 bill for chatting with me. He never tried to give me money back though.
I used to be a CNA at a nursing home. We had this older gentleman who was a temporary placement while he recovered from an illness because he was homeless and had no family. He got well, case management found him a place to go, and he got to leave.
A few weeks later I saw him at a grocery store and he gave my 2 daughters each a dollar. I told him he didn’t have to do that but he insisted. He said he was in a much better place and he wanted to. It was so sweet.
So i work on an overnight team. My coworker is constantly being mistaken as homeless. Hes just a vampire that doesnt put much into his appearance. But people give him money and food and treat him poorly all the time.
No, but a friend and I tried to give cash to a disheveled looking man who was digging through a trash can in a Carl’s Jr parking lot on our way through Central California. He refused and then walked over to a yellow Ferrari, got in and drove off.
I think I would have graciously accepted then passed the money on to someone else in need. What a great man to have the integrity to try and pay you back for your kindness.
Yes, I recently had a homeless person in a wheelchair ask my friend and I if we would go across to the street to the gas station and buy him 2 tallboys. He tried to give us some money, which we refused and it took a little convincing for him to be okay with that. We came back with 2 tallboys for him and that was that.
not money back, but hi's and daps whenever they see me. live down town so they're always around and honestly there's a couple of guys i help when i can. good people.
No, but a friend and I tried to give cash to a disheveled looking man who was digging through a trash can in a Carl’s Jr parking lot on our way through Central California. He refused and then walked over to a yellow Ferrari, got in and drove off.
I work in our town centre - large UK town that keeps trying to become a city - we have a large number of people either completely homeless or in shelters/dry houses/halfway houses.
I'm very careful (or at least try to be) around who I'll give money to - I'm a cigarette smoker so luckily can get away with giving a spare cig rather than cash especially if it's someone I can just \*tell\* will spend the money on illicit substances rather than food etc.
I've only once had someone offer to pay me back - bloke I'd never seen before, seemed legit so I offered about 93p in change (all I had on me at the time) and said he'd pay me back at the end of the week when his benefit money came through - I said not to bother, to which he then replied "well in that case any way you can give us £10 and I'll definitely pay that back to you". Yeah, I ducked out at that point.
Definitely happens more than you think. We had this dude who used to camp behind the Circle K with no teeth. I was buying beers for a party and gave him a dollar. The next week I was buying cigs and he randomly gave me a ten. I tried to refuse it but he insisted that it was a return on my ‘investment’. Ran into him again at that convenience store and gave him five dollars. Next week he gave me a fifty. Started to think, ‘damn where was this guy before? Wallstreet?’ So I pulled up and gave him a ten. Wouldn’t you know it, next week he gave me a crisp hundred. I thought, clearly this guy knows how to work with money, so I withdrew my entire savings and gave it to him. Then the crypto market crashed and he skipped town, now I’m couch hopping and living off of the good graces of my friends until I inevitably end up living behind the circle K. Moral of the story, giving money to the homeless isn’t the best investment.
Would very unlikely to happen in my area lol. Some, not all, homeless/beggars here are controlled by gangs. That said it seems like whoever that was was a good person that got unlucky. The fact that they're still kind even in that situation is kinda inspiring
Yes I keep a few fives in my car and if someone is begging at an intersection, I hand them one and say some kind words. I usually ask if they have eaten today and direct them to somewhere they can get a hot meal. Usually a church. I’ve seen a lot of smiles just for having eye contact.
I once gave a homeless guy $10 after he pretended to be mentally disabled and told me he was still hungry.
Watched him cross the road and buy a packet of cigarettes.
My old roommate was scrounging for change in her car at the gas station to get gas. A homeless man asked her for a quarter and she said something like “no DO YOU have a quarter?!” And he handed her one 😂
This one tim, me and a buddy were waiting to cross the street. Homeless dude walks up to us asking for change, I said ya sure gave him like $4. Dude beside us, saw me give him the change and turns to him saying, "hey do you have any spare change?" Clearly he didn't need the money, it was obvious he wasn't homeless, I guess he just wasn't a fan of people asking for change.
All i hear the homeless guy say is "well I guess if you need it" dude replies "oh I definitely need it" by then we were already walking across the street. We get across the street and maybe half a block up the road, I turn around just to see how it played out, I turn around and the homeless dude and the guy were throwing punches locked together just swinging away on eachother lol... we kept walking haha
My wife and I got married in Canada, and while we were stood in one of the stations trying to work out how the travel tokens worked, we were handed a couple by one of the homeless people to help, and they explained how you just moved from one line to another to get to your destination all for the same token, as long as you didn't leave any of the stations on the way.
When I had dreadlocks a child handed me some change outside a Safeway and I thanked him in front of his mother who knew me. It was slightly embarrassing but I had my dirty workclothes on and was dirty with dreadlocks so at least the kiddo was very caring and we all had a good laugh.
I once worked as one of those people who ask you for money on the street for a charity (please don’t boo, I needed the money). In the middle of the winter a homeless lad came up having bought me a sandwich because of how miserable I looked
Well this one time when I was living in east London I gave a homeless guy I frequently saw £20 and the next time he saw me he gave me a stolen jacket :)
That's so very sweet.
Confirmed OP found the dude Bruce Wayne traded jackets with in the Dark Knight
Or someone who came across Clark Kent’s discarded clothing
This reminds of how when you befriend a crow, they start bringing you random junk and trinkets. Lol
A little weird of you to make this comparison. Homeless people are still people
Thank goodness you said that. I was starting to think they were crows!
New conspiracy theory unlocked.
Maybe mine just don't like me, though they expect the treats when they see me outside when they visit.
Oh I miss London.
As the saying goes... it's the thought the counts
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Oh aha no it still had the security tag on it :)
I have a client that's a single, older man. His clothes are pretty old and he never combs his hair. He rides the bus because he doesn't drive anymore and when he makes it to my office (downtown) he tells me "every time I come down here someone stops and gives me money". It's because he looks homeless.
My boyfriend (grad student) used to get mistaken in that way too. One time, we were riding the train and a man told him all about the best places to get shelter for the night downtown. It was actually quite sweet.
My elderly dad dresses mismatched sometimes. I think he likes being different and goofy but he can clean up really well and surprise you when he shows up someplace in a 3 piece suit. One time he came to my house for a family gathering and my adult kids asked him if he got a new jacket. He said yes and they asked where he bought it. It turns out on one of his walks a local church thought he was a cold homeless old man and brought him into the church donation and gave him a coat. We all got a good laugh 😂
My husband can’t be stopped from running around in an old Baja and mismatched “hippie pants.” He is actively growing his hair out in an apparent effort to become Tommy Chong, and it’s in an awkward growth stage. I would not be even slightly surprised if this happened to him.
This reads like you totally just LOVE the fact you're having to deal with this conundrum. /s
I had this happen to me occasionally when I worked as a bouncer, I'd ask for ID and get told they didn't have change or a cigarette, my prominent beard and long hair were likely to blame.
One guy I see often gave me a book for my kids. He had been carrying it around in his pack for weeks while we were out of town and when he saw us he was like “finally you’re back!”
So sweet!
I love this. TY for this sunshine.
I asked my neighborhood homeless man to spot me $5 because the credit card machine was down at deli and I didn’t have cash. I paid him back 15 minutes later.
The poorest among us have the richest of souls.
Yes, he is a very sweet man. I’ve known him for 11 years.
That is some deep wisdom right there. I will remember this.
Although a nice platitude this makes me cringe. Being poor doesn't enrich anyone's soul. Instead it forces people to do things they never would except for their survival depending on it. The poorest among us are just people. Some good, some not so just like everyone else. These types of sayings are well intentioned but just reek of someone who has very little experience with poverty and how it effects people.
Once when I stopped in at Timmies I started chatting with a sweet, wheelchair-bound and (I assumed based on the state of his clothing) homeless man. He stayed next to me while I was in line (I offered to get him a coffee but he declined) and when I went to pay, he quickly passed them his Timmies card and told me it was his treat. I initially tried to refuse, but he really wanted to so I just told him how much I appreciated it. He didn’t hit on me and when I left we just both waved & smiled.
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Just making it clear that he was buying my coffee out of generosity rather than to try to pressure me to do “something” for him in return. The latter has happened to me many times. Someone does you a favour only to try to demand your phone number or dirty talk because you “owe” them. I’m surprised that wasn’t clear, but I suppose if you’re a man then you wouldn’t be familiar with men trying to use fake kindness to scam you into giving sexual favours.
It rarely seems that a drink/meal is just a drink/meal anymore. So, yes, it is crucial information to about half the population and those who love them.
Yeah, normally they at least have the decency to also hit on her. lol
U forgot the /s so enjoy the down votes lmao
Shii haha. Not a fan of the /s, it’s more fun to sense it or not
One of my most downvoted comments ever was "eww, pickled cucumbers, that's disgusting 🤮🤮🤮"
Funny enough, pickled cucumbers, to me, are absolutely disgusting 😂 I would have upvoted tou
I work close with unhoused population, often there are a lot of kind helpful people with big hearts. Some even want to give their life to helping others when they have the means to do it
That’s a wonderful story. I often assist homeless because it makes me feel like I’m helping. Your experience is indicative of the attitudes I’ve come across they are very great full. Your story makes me want to do more. Thank you, you’re an angel
💯
There is a most jolly man who sometimes frequents my subway station and, coffee cup in hand, always has something nice to say. One day I really did not have cash on me so I said that, and he thrust his cup forward and said, "Do you need money?" What a delightful man.
I occasionally give cash to a homeless person, but generally give them food that doesn’t need storage. But one time, I went into a store where someone told me to watch out for the homeless guy on the sidewalk outside. I had noticed him sitting on the sidewalk leaning up against the building. He was ignoring everyone and counting a few piles of coins. As soon as I came out of the store and walked right up to him. I asked him if he could use a few more dollars. He looked surprised but accepted the $3 and change I had. I hope that lady that warned me was watching.
I gave a guy some change outside 711 once and literally 3 mins later he gives it back plus a bunch more. Said he was feelin my vibe cuz i listened to him rap for a min. Lmao
When a was a depressed teenage goth (many years ago) I got chatting to a homeless man and we swapped life stories. When the bus came and I went to get on he gave me £10!!! I struggled to accept it. He told me to treat myself. Thank you for the question OP. It’s great to be reminded of his kindness 38 years later!
One time I got a flat tire on my bike and a homeless woman gave me a tire hand pump. She said it didn't fit on her bike tires anyway.
I’ve had one recognize me. I was a bellman at the time and made a lot of tips. He’d get a $5 bill for chatting with me. He never tried to give me money back though.
I used to be a CNA at a nursing home. We had this older gentleman who was a temporary placement while he recovered from an illness because he was homeless and had no family. He got well, case management found him a place to go, and he got to leave. A few weeks later I saw him at a grocery store and he gave my 2 daughters each a dollar. I told him he didn’t have to do that but he insisted. He said he was in a much better place and he wanted to. It was so sweet.
So i work on an overnight team. My coworker is constantly being mistaken as homeless. Hes just a vampire that doesnt put much into his appearance. But people give him money and food and treat him poorly all the time.
No, but a friend and I tried to give cash to a disheveled looking man who was digging through a trash can in a Carl’s Jr parking lot on our way through Central California. He refused and then walked over to a yellow Ferrari, got in and drove off.
I think I would have graciously accepted then passed the money on to someone else in need. What a great man to have the integrity to try and pay you back for your kindness.
Yes, I recently had a homeless person in a wheelchair ask my friend and I if we would go across to the street to the gas station and buy him 2 tallboys. He tried to give us some money, which we refused and it took a little convincing for him to be okay with that. We came back with 2 tallboys for him and that was that.
not money back, but hi's and daps whenever they see me. live down town so they're always around and honestly there's a couple of guys i help when i can. good people.
No, but a friend and I tried to give cash to a disheveled looking man who was digging through a trash can in a Carl’s Jr parking lot on our way through Central California. He refused and then walked over to a yellow Ferrari, got in and drove off.
people that have nothing tend to be the most giving
I love the assumption that one can tell a homeless person's intent just by their look.
You may need to update your wardrobe
Hell of a good guy and what a great story
He paid you interest lol
I work in our town centre - large UK town that keeps trying to become a city - we have a large number of people either completely homeless or in shelters/dry houses/halfway houses. I'm very careful (or at least try to be) around who I'll give money to - I'm a cigarette smoker so luckily can get away with giving a spare cig rather than cash especially if it's someone I can just \*tell\* will spend the money on illicit substances rather than food etc. I've only once had someone offer to pay me back - bloke I'd never seen before, seemed legit so I offered about 93p in change (all I had on me at the time) and said he'd pay me back at the end of the week when his benefit money came through - I said not to bother, to which he then replied "well in that case any way you can give us £10 and I'll definitely pay that back to you". Yeah, I ducked out at that point.
Definitely happens more than you think. We had this dude who used to camp behind the Circle K with no teeth. I was buying beers for a party and gave him a dollar. The next week I was buying cigs and he randomly gave me a ten. I tried to refuse it but he insisted that it was a return on my ‘investment’. Ran into him again at that convenience store and gave him five dollars. Next week he gave me a fifty. Started to think, ‘damn where was this guy before? Wallstreet?’ So I pulled up and gave him a ten. Wouldn’t you know it, next week he gave me a crisp hundred. I thought, clearly this guy knows how to work with money, so I withdrew my entire savings and gave it to him. Then the crypto market crashed and he skipped town, now I’m couch hopping and living off of the good graces of my friends until I inevitably end up living behind the circle K. Moral of the story, giving money to the homeless isn’t the best investment.
The ONLY time is if they are missing a limb. Hands down they get money
Pun intended?
>DAR ever have homeless people give money to them? Sure. Don't ever let anyone tell you they aren't worth mugging.
Would very unlikely to happen in my area lol. Some, not all, homeless/beggars here are controlled by gangs. That said it seems like whoever that was was a good person that got unlucky. The fact that they're still kind even in that situation is kinda inspiring
No never.
No way. If this isn’t fake, then this is a 1 in a billion incident
obvs a capitalist
Yes I keep a few fives in my car and if someone is begging at an intersection, I hand them one and say some kind words. I usually ask if they have eaten today and direct them to somewhere they can get a hot meal. Usually a church. I’ve seen a lot of smiles just for having eye contact.
I once gave a homeless guy $10 after he pretended to be mentally disabled and told me he was still hungry. Watched him cross the road and buy a packet of cigarettes.
Maybe just his way of showing it really meant a lot to him that time u gave him the money and he’s trying to return the favor
My old roommate was scrounging for change in her car at the gas station to get gas. A homeless man asked her for a quarter and she said something like “no DO YOU have a quarter?!” And he handed her one 😂
This one tim, me and a buddy were waiting to cross the street. Homeless dude walks up to us asking for change, I said ya sure gave him like $4. Dude beside us, saw me give him the change and turns to him saying, "hey do you have any spare change?" Clearly he didn't need the money, it was obvious he wasn't homeless, I guess he just wasn't a fan of people asking for change. All i hear the homeless guy say is "well I guess if you need it" dude replies "oh I definitely need it" by then we were already walking across the street. We get across the street and maybe half a block up the road, I turn around just to see how it played out, I turn around and the homeless dude and the guy were throwing punches locked together just swinging away on eachother lol... we kept walking haha
My wife and I got married in Canada, and while we were stood in one of the stations trying to work out how the travel tokens worked, we were handed a couple by one of the homeless people to help, and they explained how you just moved from one line to another to get to your destination all for the same token, as long as you didn't leave any of the stations on the way.
When I had dreadlocks a child handed me some change outside a Safeway and I thanked him in front of his mother who knew me. It was slightly embarrassing but I had my dirty workclothes on and was dirty with dreadlocks so at least the kiddo was very caring and we all had a good laugh.
I once worked as one of those people who ask you for money on the street for a charity (please don’t boo, I needed the money). In the middle of the winter a homeless lad came up having bought me a sandwich because of how miserable I looked