When you pass by a "homeless" person begging for money on the side of the road, do you give him/her money?
Giving money to beggars
- Thread starter Heidi
- Start date
i won't give money but i'll often buy them something to eat. i've seen too many drunk bums and i'm afraid that my hard earned money would go towards more boos, so buying them a sandwhich eliminates that problem.
I automatically give money to the ones who actually "work" for it. Example, if you walk around San Francisco's Market Trolley Station area, there is a man who would approach you and offer to recite a poem and if you like it and if you choose to give spare change it would be much appreciated. If you choose not to hand out, he thanks you anyways for listening.. The guy rocked and deserved more than $5... anyways, I don't just give spare change or money (so they can buy 40 or something), but I always give out food...
but when I start begging and panhandling you guys better be nice..
but when I start begging and panhandling you guys better be nice..
If you give money to beggars i believe you are merely contributing to a problem. Besides the fact that there are scammers who dont need the money alot of homeless people need help changing their lifestyle to salvage their lives, not a few bucks to enable them to continue their slump.
Money should be given to orginizations that work for a solution to help people who are down on their luck. I'm not going to go into my interaction with assorted homeless people but i will feed someone who is hungry if i have the time.
Money should be given to orginizations that work for a solution to help people who are down on their luck. I'm not going to go into my interaction with assorted homeless people but i will feed someone who is hungry if i have the time.
I do not give homeless men money. I am unsympathetic towards them...
This last Christmas, on Christmas Eve, I was at the store buying whipped cream. A youngish girl with a baby was buying 2 packs of hotdogs and some cheese. He total was something like $7.00, she started to count her money and did not have enough. Instead of of putting an item back this girl just started crying and walked away with her baby. You could tell she was in serious trouble and that life was not treating her right on Christmas Eve.
I paid for my whip cream and hurried out of the store to find her. When I did, I gave her $20.00 and said she should buy herself something good to eat for Christmas. At first she was frightened of a stranger giving her money but she did take and even said thank you.
Doing this made me feel very good for a few days but I was no hero, my $20.00 didn't even make a dent in this girls problem.
This last Christmas, on Christmas Eve, I was at the store buying whipped cream. A youngish girl with a baby was buying 2 packs of hotdogs and some cheese. He total was something like $7.00, she started to count her money and did not have enough. Instead of of putting an item back this girl just started crying and walked away with her baby. You could tell she was in serious trouble and that life was not treating her right on Christmas Eve.
I paid for my whip cream and hurried out of the store to find her. When I did, I gave her $20.00 and said she should buy herself something good to eat for Christmas. At first she was frightened of a stranger giving her money but she did take and even said thank you.
Doing this made me feel very good for a few days but I was no hero, my $20.00 didn't even make a dent in this girls problem.
Sometimes, depends on my mood time of year ( More sympethic in the cold mounths, christmass ), the person them slevs , etc.
I agree. My husband and I have done the same thing many times. If they are hungry I will glady give them food, but I will not support their drug, alcohol or cigarette habit.
Working near the bus station in San Fran I know all about homeless people begging for money. I have to walk through a gauntlet of them in order to get to work. No, I don't give money to them if they ask, instead if I'm on my way to grab lunch or get a coffee I will offer to buy them lunch or coffee. You'd be surprised how many times they have turned down this offer.
I will buy them some food but I do not give cash
Hey didn't San Fran want to pass or pass some kind of law about giving each homeless person some $200 cash in hopes that they would clean themselves up and get off the street so the whole "atmosphere" of the downtown area could be improved?
There is a guy downtown here that used to give you 5 insults for a dollar. Now he carries a sign that says "dirtylooks - 25 cents each". 
I used to drop whatever I could afford into the cup of this "homeless" guy that I saw every morning as I crossed the 6th street bridge in Pittsburgh. I had been doing this for 3 or 4 months when one morning I saw him walking down a dead end alley talking on a cell phone! I walked down and confronted him and he confessed that he was a cop working undercover to monitor the gang activity in the area. There was a lot of gang-related graffiti on the bridge. He then said "thanks for the coffee" and walked away. I never saw him again and I never dropped change in a cup in Pittsburgh again.
That reminds me of the signs some bums in Seattle are using, "Why lie, I need a beer." At least they're telling the truthOriginally posted by Heidi
There is a guy downtown here that used to give you 5 insults for a dollar. Now he carries a sign that says "dirtylooks - 25 cents each".
.I'm gonna throw something else in, Heidi I hope you don't mind. But do you give money to street musicians? At least they are actually doing something to earn the money.
Down at the Pike Place Market there are quite a few and most of them are really good. There's even a guy who rolls a piano out and props it against a sign post at the bottom of a steep hill and plays.
Down at the Pike Place Market there are quite a few and most of them are really good. There's even a guy who rolls a piano out and props it against a sign post at the bottom of a steep hill and plays.
Yes, I would probably give money to a street "musician". I just have a problem with people wanting my money for free.
Never.
I'd like to be altruistic and give people who need money for food some cash but I don't want to give money to be spent on drugs, alcohol. I would buy people a meal but often just don't have the time. So, I end up either walking away and feeling guilty about not giving anything or give the person some change or a few bucks and then wonder if it really went to food.
The people that really make me wonder are those that look well fed, fresh showered and have a sign that says "spare change". Then my money stays in my pocket!
The people that really make me wonder are those that look well fed, fresh showered and have a sign that says "spare change". Then my money stays in my pocket!
Street musicians are earning their contributions. If they are good enough to make me stop and smile then they have earned it!
I am partial to saxophonists and violinists... I liked the break dancers from the early 80's.
I am partial to saxophonists and violinists... I liked the break dancers from the early 80's.
I personally do NOT give out $$... It only contributes to their lifestyle. There is a woman that I pass on the way to work every day. I talked to the guy at teh liquor store on the corner, and he said that she has been sitting in that same spot for over 20 years!!
If people didn't give her $$, she would have to make a decision. Get straight, or perish.
Or the guy on Newbery (sp?) street in Boston.
He makes about $60,000/year begging, and he lived in a nicer place than me!!
Or the guy who, refused some food I offered and whipped out a HUGE roll of cash and proceeded to berate me and tell me that he was "MACKIN" and "LARGE AND IN CHARGE"
So.. a few bad apples ruined it for the others with a legitimate need.
If people didn't give her $$, she would have to make a decision. Get straight, or perish.
Or the guy on Newbery (sp?) street in Boston.
He makes about $60,000/year begging, and he lived in a nicer place than me!!
Or the guy who, refused some food I offered and whipped out a HUGE roll of cash and proceeded to berate me and tell me that he was "MACKIN" and "LARGE AND IN CHARGE"
So.. a few bad apples ruined it for the others with a legitimate need.
I'm the same way about musicians...if some guy is just playing a guitar halfway decently, I might throw in a few quarters...if it sounds good, I'll stop and throw in 2 or 3 bucks.
As far as the beggars go, unless it is OBVIOUS that they're running a scam or something, I usually give anywhere from 1 to 5 bucks. The way I figure it, if I can't figure out their motives, God will.
As far as the beggars go, unless it is OBVIOUS that they're running a scam or something, I usually give anywhere from 1 to 5 bucks. The way I figure it, if I can't figure out their motives, God will.
Yesterday while walking,
Beneath an overpass,
I saw the figure of Jesus,
Standing barefoot on broken glass.
His beard was graying,
The smell of urine filled the air,
Asking if I had some change,
Anything that I could spare.
Emaciated,
His shaking fists balled up,
Influenza and pneumonia,
Begging God to take his cup.
So different from his pictures,
Breathing air through yellowed tubes,
Jesus Christ, dying of AIDS,
Can look right through you.
And all have hated,
Crucified and walked away,
The Savior of the prostitutes,
Drunkards, rapists, and the gays.
Under bridges,
With hands raised,
From the ghettos they praise his name.
Broke and crippled in the dark of night,
Raise your voices to Jesus Christ,
Hallelujah.
Beneath an overpass,
I saw the figure of Jesus,
Standing barefoot on broken glass.
His beard was graying,
The smell of urine filled the air,
Asking if I had some change,
Anything that I could spare.
Emaciated,
His shaking fists balled up,
Influenza and pneumonia,
Begging God to take his cup.
So different from his pictures,
Breathing air through yellowed tubes,
Jesus Christ, dying of AIDS,
Can look right through you.
And all have hated,
Crucified and walked away,
The Savior of the prostitutes,
Drunkards, rapists, and the gays.
Under bridges,
With hands raised,
From the ghettos they praise his name.
Broke and crippled in the dark of night,
Raise your voices to Jesus Christ,
Hallelujah.
CROSS-POSTER 
Is that a yes or a no?
depends on the person.
99.999 percent of the time NO FREAKIN WAY!!
BUT, if the guy has one leg or something, yes, i'll drop some change in his hand.
but i've seen people younger than me begging for change.
sorry, get a job. I did.
i've also worked with people that actually quit their job to beg for change at the end of the freeway. they said they made more money for their efforts.
here in seattle we have a TON of people beggin for change.
some are out and out drunks/addicts
others are damm kids (GET A JOB!)
some are just lazy (i've worked with them, i know)
i think it's a sign of a good economy.
if people didn't have money to give these people would go somewhere else.
some of these folks don't have a choice to be on the streets but it's my belief that alot of them do......
99.999 percent of the time NO FREAKIN WAY!!
BUT, if the guy has one leg or something, yes, i'll drop some change in his hand.
but i've seen people younger than me begging for change.
sorry, get a job. I did.
i've also worked with people that actually quit their job to beg for change at the end of the freeway. they said they made more money for their efforts.
here in seattle we have a TON of people beggin for change.
some are out and out drunks/addicts
others are damm kids (GET A JOB!)
some are just lazy (i've worked with them, i know)
i think it's a sign of a good economy.
if people didn't have money to give these people would go somewhere else.
some of these folks don't have a choice to be on the streets but it's my belief that alot of them do......
Thanks for the laugh.Originally posted by Heidi
Is that a yes or a no?
It is a qualified yes. I ususally ask the person what they need most. If it's food I'll buy them or their child a sandwich. If it's shelter I will give them one of my ex-girlfriends (the one that runs a homeless shelter) cards. If it's money I will ask them what they need the money for. Their response in regard to money defines mine.
But don't they always tell you it's for food? From my building I can watch the homeless people walk to the liquor store across the street and come out carrying bottles of liquor. They always ask me for money for a sandwich.
Which is why if they say its for food I go buy them some food. If they say its for something else I gauge my response on the believability of theirs.
About 2 months ago I was sitting with my roomie and a few of her friends in an outside cafe/pizza joint. This homeless guy walks into the courtyard and picks up one of the parmesean shakers off of the table next to ours unscrews the lid and begins chugging the cheese. The girls (other than my roomie who may someday be granted sainthood but that is another story) were mortified, disgusted and wanting to complain the the management. I asked them to shut their fat yuppie traps and got up to talk to the guy.
I asked him if things were really that bad, and his response was a tearful, "Man, I am so damn hungry." I got the sense that his hunger was not only for food.
I ordered a pizza, switched tables and sat down with him. We sat and talked while he ate. I did have a slice. He wasn't a druggie, or a drunk. He was a decent, though not well educated guy who worked mainly in construction. He had gotten hurt on the job and didn't have insurance. His hospital bills outweighed his savings. He had to sell his truck, give up his apartment and live on the street so that what money he had left could be spent on his bills. Yeah, he was still paying his bills. He said, "I don't want to F-up my credit rating." How funny is that? No food, but he is worried about his credit rating. I wound up going to my truck and getting some clean clothes that I had stashed and gave him my ex gf's and my card. I didn't hear from him, but got a few updates from my ex. His injury healed and he was able to work again. He stayed at my ex gf's shelter for three months until he got his bills payed down to where he could afford rent again.
Two weeks ago he called me at work and asked if he could buy me a pizza.
His name is Craig. He's a nice guy.
Next time someone bothers one of you for money take a few minutes to talk to them. They might be someone a lot like you who just hasn't been so richly blessed.
When I worked at Taco Bell in high school, a bum used to come in and eat hot sauce and drink water. Now THAT'S gross.
I used to tip cows.
I clicked yes, but not for those reasons. I feel that, for the mostpart, people are on the street not because they don't want to work, but because they can't find work. It's a very competitive world, and if they didn't get a good education, maybe because of their parents situation, doesn't mean they should die off, like Darwin suggests. As people, we have a responsability to help each other. I'm not suggesting communism, by all means. If you work hard, you deserve to feel rewarded. I'm just saying that it is downright irresponsible to let the less fortunate suffer while you ride away, high and dry. Let's say you're riding, and your friend flats, but he doesn't have a tube. Only you do. Are you going to make him walk home? Well, the same applies whenever you're capable of helping someone. So when i give money, i don't feel like a hero. I feel like a fellow human being.
Growing up my familiy owned a beach restaurant in Santa Monica, The Sorrento Beach Grill. We always had homeless guys asking for a meal so we would put them to work for a while cleaning tables, emptying the garbage etc while we cooked them up some burgers fries and a drink. no biggie. One older guy with a dog was well spoke and very nice and was always around. we needed a night watchman so we asked him if that would be something he would be interested in, he said yes and we built him a small room in the back. John stayed with us until we closed the business in 1975. We found him a family to stay with [he was a vet so he got benefit checks]. he died a few years later at the age of 80. The Military sent a honor guard to pick him up, turns out he was a Congressional Medal of Honor winner by the name of John Campion and he was taken to Arlington for burial. So as DT said you just never know
No. As a stylish roadie oozing good taste, I'd throw him a tube, hope to god he has a pump (the idiot) and say: "Bummer Dude, your time is gonna suck." Then I'd be off to catch the pack secure in the fact that I am a hero!
Yeah but my point is that you're not gonna leave him there. When you see a homeless person, the least you can do is flick them a quarter, in the style that you outlined above. But you've still helped. In your scenario, at least the guy has a tube, right? So you acted as a condsiderate person, and good on ya!Originally posted by Serial Midget
No. As a stylish roadie oozing good taste, I'd throw him a tube, hope to god he has a pump (the idiot) and say: "Bummer Dude, your time is gonna suck." Then I'd be off to catch the pack secure in the fact that I am a hero!
OK. This just sucks. All my bums turn out to be bums...:angry:
You and DT have ALL the best stories. I suppose you're all full of luv and kindness as well? Ugh. I'm glad you can't get pizza delivered on your mountain!:evil:
Right on DT. I learned to take the same position from my dad. He'd never offer money to homeless / people begging, but would always offer a meal. If they took him up on it, (unfortunately this was somewhat rare) he'd sit down and spend some time with them. I've tried to be the same way. Sometimes it's tough not to cringe, or pass judgement on these folks, but you never know from just seeing them, what put them in the place they are now.
The homeless population is made up of many types of people. Addicts, runaways, mentally ill, temporarily down and out, or any combination of these things. It's best not to judge, nor to make any sweeping generalization about the homeless people out there asking for help. If not for a couple good decisions or helpful family members / friends, many of us could be in the exact same position.