Street-side beggars

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NanaSarah

New Member
Location
Washingto State
I found the thread about the trinket box and the "poor" people who "couldn't afford" to pay $1 for it. It made me wonder how y'all deal with people standing on busy street corners holding signs asking for money. Do you give money? Do you buy them a sandwich? Do you assume they're not legit and drive by? Do you feel guilty?

Our state is very generous when it comes to helping people in need. And there are lots of non-governmental groups who do the same. I am mixed between thinking "these people really need help just getting food" and "if I give this person money, what if the drugs they buy with it are the ones that kill them".
 

A friend shared this story with me. I have no reason to doubt it. He was on his way to a fast food place to buy himself a breakfast. He saw someone on the side of the road holding a sign. So, instead of stopping and giving the man money, he bought two meals, and circled back to give the man one. The man yelled an expletive, and just threw the food on the ground. My friend swore he would never do it again. Not saying this is always the case, but it makes you think.
 
I can only say that I see the same people standing in this one area every day and that they are picked up after 5 p.m. by a van. I've never seen them dropped off, though.

I don't believe that they are "homeless" and they get no money from me. Just my humble opinion.

The one time I offered to buy food for a panhandler, he was most grateful and we had a very interesting lunch. He genuinely was trying to hitchhike home to see his mother up north.
 

After I left the service I had some excess baggage I did not need. I worked many different jobs for many years before I finally got the counseling I needed.
But inbetween I was homeless. I slept under bridges, I camped out on the fringe of town, I hitchhiked to the forest and camped. I never asked for money although I did take food stamps on occasion. The state where I was 'camping' had a depost on returnable cans/bottles and I donated plasma together it was enough to get by on.
 
Deucemoi said:
After I left the service I had some excess baggage I did not need. I worked many different jobs for many years before I finally got the counseling I needed.
But inbetween I was homeless. I slept under bridges, I camped out on the fringe of town, I hitchhiked to the forest and camped. I never asked for money although I did take food stamps on occasion. The state where I was 'camping' had a depost on returnable cans/bottles and I donated plasma together it was enough to get by on.
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I'm so sorry you had to go through that Deucemoi! Thank you for your service. It's people like you who really need the help, but we're off-put by the dishonest folk who take advantage of other people's kind hearts. My sister-in-law says she gives them money saying God will sort it out in the end and feels it's not her place to judge others. She has a point...but I just don't have enough to give as they're on every corner around here!
 
When I see panhandlers with dogs, I buy them dog food. I buy meals when someone asks, and sometimes give money to people. Once I give it to them, it's theirs to spend as they please.
 
NanaSarah said:
I found the thread about the trinket box and the "poor" people who "couldn't afford" to pay $1 for it. It made me wonder how y'all deal with people standing on busy street corners holding signs asking for money. Do you give money? Do you buy them a sandwich? Do you assume they're not legit and drive by? Do you feel guilty?

Our state is very generous when it comes to helping people in need. And there are lots of non-governmental groups who do the same. I am mixed between thinking "these people really need help just getting food" and "if I give this person money, what if the drugs they buy with it are the ones that kill them".
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Where I live in Mo. they are on every busy intersection. I am starting to see more women doing it and even with a small child. That is what is heart breaking to me. Sadly you don't know if they are truly in need or not. If I am the first one at the stoplight, yes it makes me uneasy and if they are truly in need I do feel sorry for them. However, the length of time,they spend standing on the corner, they could be looking for a job.
 
Yes, I give people money sometimes and I don't feel guilty if I decide not to, it depends on how I feel about their situation. I never concern myself with what they do with the money as it no longer belongs to me once I put it into their hand. I never ever give money to people who act aggressive. We've had a few scares in our family. One lady got angry recently because my daughter wouldn't give her $ and take her home to let her work it off by cleaning her house or walking her dog. She stepped real close to her and started shouting so she just got out of there as fast as she could.
 
I used to live in Queens, NYC. One day, I came out of the subway, and there was guy asking for fare money to get back to N.J. He was a nice looking guy, probably a college student. I didn't give him any money. Next day, guess who's there. And the next day. And the next. Well, I got to know him and I'd say,"Hi". Since me being a "friend" was bad for business, he'd only talk to me when no one was around. On Thanksgiving, I went to Manhattan to see the parade, (You have to go see that parade. Those balloons are huge) I heard a familiar voice asking for fare money. Yup, it was him.
But the idea that there's all those government give away programs and charities helping the poor is false. Government programs halt only starvation at best. They are getting just enough money to keep them alive. Family of 5 with ,at best, $250 a week for food, shelter, medical care, clothing. Call a charity and ask them how much money they will give you, when you walk in the door. You could have to listen to a two hour presentation of their religion to get a bowl of noodles. Being poor is not the easy way to wealth and prosperity.
 
This should be viewed as a safety issue, especially for seniors. I have given money or food to homeless people, but not because I was solicited.

When in public I keep an eye open for people in parking lots that are working it for handouts.

I consider an approaching younger male as a possible adversary, and try to minimize any vulnerabilities that he could exploit.

Needy people can avail themselves of a variety of public services, they just need to go get it. My tax money supports that effort, so in my view that's is my contribution as well.
 
I always had to work hard to earn my money, and in my younger days I gave a lot more often to street panhandlers because I felt sorry for them. Over the years I've found that many of them do it every day and not all of them are even that needy. I've come across aggressive and nasty ones, and I have put them in their place. These days I may give now and then if I sense some sincerity, but being older, I'm more cautious. I give when I want to, to local food banks and shelters.
 
The people some of you are seeing on corners are most probably addicts. Begging is about the only occupation they can do. They are hoping to get enough for a fix. That's why they don't want food. It's a horrible existence. They may be extremely aggressive, because the desperately need a fix. I live out in the sticks, so I don't see much, except deer. The fact that you say their number is increasing doesn't sound good.
 
tnthomas said:
This should be viewed as a safety issue, especially for seniors. I have given money or food to homeless people, but not because I was solicited.

When in public I keep an eye open for people in parking lots that are working it for handouts.

I consider an approaching younger male as a possible adversary, and try to minimize any vulnerabilities that he could exploit.

Needy people can avail themselves of a variety of public services, they just need to go get it. My tax money supports that effort, so in my view that's is my contribution as well.
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They are definitely a safety issue. Back before I retired, I'd meet several of them on may way to my car after work, some quite aggressive, and it made me very uncomfortable. I got to where I would not stay late at the office to work on something, no matter how urgent, unless one of the male associates of partners stayed with me and walked me to my car afterwards. I finally decided I had had enough of that and quit working downtown and took a job at a firm out of the downtown area. It was less of a problem there, but it was still a problem. After one of them walked right in the office one day, I insisted on keeping the front door locked if I or my assistant, or both of us, were alone in the office. And this was in a "good" area. Lousy way to have to live.

While I'm sorry that people are in such straits they need to panhandle, I have no sympathy with them getting up in my face in a threatening manner where I can't just go on peacefully about my business.

Fuzzy, you're right, the benefits they can receive are not enough to exist. I know that for sure because I had to assist my niece in getting some benefits when she was taken seriously ill. Even after researching and applying for (and getting, because she was terminally ill and had minor children) it was still little more than a pittance.
 
I will give them spare change if I have some and some dollars at times because you never know if you might be in that position one day. To the ones who actually come up to me and ask that is; I don't stop for those holding those signs every day. For one thing I might get in a wreck on the busy intersection they stand on.
 

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