Gave $2 to a Homeless Man Last night

VintageBetter

VintageBetter

Senior Member
Topic, IMO: Does the general public want to help the homeless? IMO - yes. I saw this last night.

It was about 9:30 pm., went to the drug store to pick up an item and a guy was curled up by the wall on a blanket. He was pretty scruffy looking. Might have been mentally ill because he was talking to himself, but didn't seem to be high.

I saw one man walk by him and say "Hi". I guess he's known there. Then after I picked up my item I went to my car, got $2 and gave it to him.

As I was leaving, yet another man stopped to talk to this guy before he went into the drug store. He seemed to just be asking him about why he was there.

All I could see in five minutes was three people who give a **** CARING about this scruffy man on a blanket in front of the drug store. THREE people all trying to help.

In my state, baloney state that it is, I hear pundits and politicians say "The homeowners/taxpayers don't want to help these people, be burdened with these people." or "There are shelters and programs blah, blah, blah." Well, they are not working. I have called 2-1-1 myself looking for affordable housing and all they have is apartment complexes with years-long wait lists. Which you cannot access without a smart phone and a cell provider.

Three people in 5 minutes. The voters want affordable housing.
 

I did the same thing the other week..I mean I often give to homeless people as long as it doesn't look like they're going to spend it on drugs or alcohol.. This time it was a middle aged man huddled in the corner of the bank doorstep trying to keep out of the wind. I stopped & spoke to him, he explained how he came to be homeless, had been on the streets for 6 years, . he told me how he tries to stay shaved and washed.

I gave him £10.. and asked him where does he usually sleep. he said that people are very generous, and that most nights he sleeps in the Budget hotel in the town which costs £30 per night with breakfast. That way he gets a safe sleep, a shower, a full breakfast, and from the breakfast items he takes food with him for his lunch later...
 
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Very comendable but did consider the cost of inflation
 

I went to the city last week. I passed a homeless woman sitting on the pavement outside Central railway station, but I had nothing I could give her at that stage. On my way back I made sure that I had some cash to give her. I gave her $5, half my lunch which was a tandoori chicken wrap. I also gave her a bottle of cold water. She had been sitting in the sun for hours and it was the water that she most appreciated.

I don't know why she was homeless, but for the grace of God...
 
Warrigal said:
I went to the city last week. I passed a homeless woman sitting on the pavement outside Central railway station, but I had nothing I could give her at that stage. On my way back I made sure that I had some cash to give her. I gave her $5, half my lunch which was a tandoori chicken wrap. I also gave her a bottle of cold water. She had been sitting in the sun for hours and it was the water that she most appreciated.

I don't know why she was homeless, but for the grace of God...
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In London the majority of ''beggars'' are not looking for food.. they just want money..

I gave a sandwich and a drink to a homeless guy once, and he threw it at me..''just give me the money '' he screamed.. it took me all my time not to boot him in the face..:mad:... I don't give to beggars in London now, because they're either druggies, or professional Beggars...

In our local towns we have very very few beggars, and they are genuinely homeless, which I think is why the public are generous to them. They accept anything we might give them. I gave one a Coat once.. I gave another a sleeping bag... and the most grateful one I remember was a beggar I gave a pouch of tobacco to.. he was over the moon...

In Spain beggars are everywhere. They are mainly Eastern Europeans, and they drug their children so they can sit out all day in the heat of the sun and beg, and the children are half asleep all the time..it's despicable..
 
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There was a homeless woman sitting outside on the sidewalk in front of my dry cleaners some time ago. I felt so bad for her, and she never asked for any money. The only cash I carry with me at any time is a $20 bill. I gave it to her. I then went inside the dry cleaners and they told me she had been there for days and the police offered to take her to a shelter. They almost admonished me for giving her money, I'm sure because she was "disturbing" their customers. I was still happy to give to someone less fortunate than myself.
 
seadoug said:
There was a homeless woman sitting outside on the sidewalk in front of my dry cleaners some time ago. I felt so bad for her, and she never asked for any money. The only cash I carry with me at any time is a $20 bill. I gave it to her. I then went inside the dry cleaners and they told me she had been there for days and the police offered to take her to a shelter. They almost admonished me for giving her money, I'm sure because she was "disturbing" their customers. I was still happy to give to someone less fortunate than myself.
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It's against the law for beggars to ask for money here..so generally they don't.. they just sit looking forlorn on the pavement/doorway.. some with mangy looking dogs others with cardboard signs.. saying they're homeless.. or that they want food.. but never asking for money or they run the risk of being arrested
 
Nathan said:
It used to be that getting arrested (no big deal) at least got them meals and a decent place to sleep.
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Not now.. they just get kept in for a few hours fingerprinted, photographed and released with a court date..no food.. , and another crime is added to their long list , and they go back out on the streets. Point being that they miss a half day or a whole day getting money so they usually stay on the side of the law and don't directly ask for money
 
My generosity towards panhandlers fluctuates depending upon what mood I'm in at the time.

Part of me feels badly for them as most everyone is 'up against it' these days just trying to make ends meet. On the flip side though, I figure why should I bust my butt working all day and turn around and give my hard-earned cash to some shiftless stranger?

When I smoked I used to give them a couple of cigarettes...but those days are over. My taxes pay for their monthly welfare checks so I'm already supporting them which is why most of the time I don't enable these panhandlers.
 
Beggars routinely sit in the entrance/exit traffic lanes of my local Walmart, sometimes with dogs or signs. They are seldom in the same location for longer than 15 minutes or so as police or security flush them out. I have if stopped by them given typically $5, an amount with which they appear to be satisfied. Some are legitimate, others possibly fraudulent, but I know at least that there are no administrative costs taken from my donations!

The beggars that hover in parking lots at places like Baltimore’s Inner Harbor are more alarming to me as they will actively pursue and engage with you. Several can often be seen at once, each apparently with their own “territory.” I prefer for my beggars or homeless to be passive, not shambling after me… 🙀
 
I guess like many of you, some folks situations seem dire to us, and others seem like a scam or looking for their next "high". If I see someone that - in my eyes - appears to be sincerely in need, I am fairly generous with them. But, the vast majority appear (to me) to be scammers, deadbeats, or druggies.
 
Mobilman44 said:
I guess like many of you, some folks situations seem dire to us, and others seem like a scam or looking for their next "high". If I see someone that - in my eyes - appears to be sincerely in need, I am fairly generous with them. But, the vast majority appear (to me) to be scammers, deadbeats, or druggies.
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We don't get beggars in the village , but there are plenty in Aberdeen city. I wonder how they can afford to keep a cute looking little dog and an expensive looking iPhone ? Of course, they're scammers, scroungers and thieves, but generally passive. I never give them anything. Same with 'food banks'. I'll save my donations for small bona fide organisations.
 
They are in every Western country, but believe me how quickly Paris will get the beggars out of the city shortly before and during the Olympic Games this summer.
 
I volunteered at a shelter for a while sometimes back in about 2009? I think it was that year. I was at a good one, one of the best in the area. But many homeless people have told me they will not go to the other shelters for various reasons: bed bugs, their stuff gets stolen or they get sexually or otherwise assaulted. Or, they are just afraid of some of the other residents.

I don't always give cash anymore. Why? Sometimes I'm just too broke. Other times I'll just have the sense that the person is a professional panhandler. Other times I'll give water, food or blankets (yardage of fleece fabric from the fabric store). Depends on the weather.

But volunteering at the homeless shelter taught me it can happen to just any middle class or lower middle class person. You have a job and a rental unit. Then suddenly you lose your job, your rent increases by a lot, or your roommate is not getting along with you anymore, so you're out.

Sometimes people are able to keep their car, but if they have a car payment and cannot keep up with that anymore, the car gets repossessed.

Legislators think our families are a safety net. HA! Very funny. What percentage of Americans have families they do not want to return to because they are abusive? Is it 10% of us? That would be about 30 million people. Is it 20% of us? Then that's 60 million adults who could benefit greatly from a FUNCTIONAL safety net.

There's young people living on the streets of L.A. today because they have come out as gay or trans and their families now consider them sub-human or even dead. So don't talk to me about the family as a "safety net". Does not apply in all cases.
 
You have to use your best judgment. If you believe they are for real and impoverished and want to give the person a few bucks, that’s your business. If anyone approaches you, I suggest you move on very quickly.

I got to know a few of the vagrants in my area and knew them by name. At my last post, there was a man named Doug. Doug was 66 y/o and lived with his daughter, who he told other people, she was his girlfriend. She would drop him off at the largest supermarket in the area around 8:30 am and he would sit in a wheelchair and wait for the money to start rolling in. About 4-5 pm, his daughter would pick him up.

He would do that 4-5 days a week. He’s on private property, so there’s very little the police can do. I spoke to the store manager and he told me he made a deal with Doug that if he would go around and pick up all the garbage, he could sit in his wheelchair on their property.

I would offer to take him inside the store snd buy him a salad or a hot bowl of soup, but he nec accepted my offer. I would tell him that I wasn’t going to give him money and he would ask why not? I tokd him one day that I don’t think you need it. You get SS and you live with your daughter. Enough said. He would wave me off and I would get back in my vehicle and drive away.
 
VintageBetter said:
I volunteered at a shelter for a while sometimes back in about 2009? I think it was that year. I was at a good one, one of the best in the area. But many homeless people have told me they will not go to the other shelters for various reasons: bed bugs, their stuff gets stolen or they get sexually or otherwise assaulted. Or, they are just afraid of some of the other residents.

I don't always give cash anymore. Why? Sometimes I'm just too broke. Other times I'll just have the sense that the person is a professional panhandler. Other times I'll give water, food or blankets (yardage of fleece fabric from the fabric store). Depends on the weather.

But volunteering at the homeless shelter taught me it can happen to just any middle class or lower middle class person. You have a job and a rental unit. Then suddenly you lose your job, your rent increases by a lot, or your roommate is not getting along with you anymore, so you're out.

Sometimes people are able to keep their car, but if they have a car payment and cannot keep up with that anymore, the car gets repossessed.

Legislators think our families are a safety net. HA! Very funny. What percentage of Americans have families they do not want to return to because they are abusive? Is it 10% of us? That would be about 30 million people. Is it 20% of us? Then that's 60 million adults who could benefit greatly from a FUNCTIONAL safety net.

There's young people living on the streets of L.A. today because they have come out as gay or trans and their families now consider them sub-human or even dead. So don't talk to me about the family as a "safety net". Does not apply in all cases.
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so what's stopping them getting a job ?
 
hollydolly said:
so what's stopping them getting a job ?
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When I was volunteering there it was during the Great Recession and the official unemployment rate was about 12%, but there is a massive underground economy in many parts of America. I read that the unofficial unemployment rate in that city might have been 20%.

What stopped them from getting a job was the Recession. So many people being laid off. But I'm also convinced the algorithms that scan online applications also hold people back from certain jobs. Like, if you don't have the "right" college mentioned on your application, or the "right" major, they will never call you for an interview. The algorithms screen you out.

I'm sure that is still happening today.
 
the way back extended family structures were often a safety net for those ill or unemployed members - now seldomly exist and we just have small nuclear family structures that can't/won't take in extras?
 

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