do you give money to the homeless?

[kidshuffle]

Yeah, you really shouldn't have taken that last sentence seriously.

[scspkr99]

Paying a tramp is out of pity and sympathy to hope they can somehow survive their day or scenario. If they betray that by further harming themselves then it defeats the object of payment, major difference.

Do you think that some with an addiction are further harming themself when they take whatever it is they are addicted to?

If sating their addiction helps them survive the day or manage their scenario how are they betraying anything. Given what they have already experienced then I guess betraying some notion of what's good for them from someone that pities them really doesn't mean much.

And the idea that buying someone food who asks for money then being offended when they don't want it just betrays an ignorance. The person may not be able to eat because of nausea so however well intentioned you are it's a waste.

If you don't want to give someone money that's perfectly fine it's your decision but if you want to help at least tell them that you would buy them something to eat and give them the chance to either accept or say no.

[deadly_habit]

saying you need money to eat and then turning down food is just outright lying
if you want money for booze or drugs just say so

[scspkr99]

And do you take it personally if someone lies to you in that situation?

How about not being honest about it because people would rather give suspecting that the money is not going to food but not wanting to be complicit in whatever the money is going towards? So it actually suits the giver to be lied to?

Like not everyone homeless has addiction issues but it's a significant enough amount, certainly in the UK and Ireland that there's a reasonable chance that someone asking for bus fare or money for food isn't being entirely honest you have the right to decide how respond but lying to some random on a street is going to be such an insignificant part of the shit someone who is homeless is going to have to deal with that it says more about the person offended by it than it does the person lying.

[jameshk]

Sometimes, as i've been in a situation where I was homeless for a while, it's shit. Luckily I managed to stay in a squat for a bit, which was pretty grimey. Usually hand them a cig or some change if they look like they really need it. Although I don't smoke anymore so they wont be getting any smokes.

[pkay]

depends what neighborhood they're in

if they're within walking distance of the dope spots I won't because i know where it's going.

[Shum]

Definitely when I can, though I find nowadays I'm not carrying physical money anymore.

[deadly_habit]

And do you take it personally if someone lies to you in that situation?

How about not being honest about it because people would rather give suspecting that the money is not going to food but not wanting to be complicit in whatever the money is going towards? So it actually suits the giver to be lied to?

Like not everyone homeless has addiction issues but it's a significant enough amount, certainly in the UK and Ireland that there's a reasonable chance that someone asking for bus fare or money for food isn't being entirely honest you have the right to decide how respond but lying to some random on a street is going to be such an insignificant part of the shit someone who is homeless is going to have to deal with that it says more about the person offended by it than it does the person lying.

well seeing as i volunteer at soup kitchens and such and deal with people in the situation, and many experiences where people claim to need money for food, bus pass, etc and when delivered they get offended, i'd rather the fuckers just say they want to buy booze or drugs

[scspkr99]

That's you that's not the majority and considering a number of the posts in this thread people are less likely to give if they know the money is going to drugs or alcohol.

There's nothing ideal about a homeless persons situation and you are entitled to decide whether you want to give money or not obviously, I just think that if you decide not to give or to get offended because someones lying to you about what the moneys for then it suggests a lack of perspective

[deadly_habit]

not a lack of perspective, more a case of i want to help you, but don't be a dick about it when if you ask for money for food or a bus pass and someone gives you food or a bus pass
if you're going to con people to get drugs or booze, keep up with the con or just be honest about it
my city has a shitload of homeless so i guess i'm pretty used to it by now

[scspkr99]

I get your argument and I have a lot of respect for the volunteering you do. Working with people facing specific and tough challenges can be ridiculously fustrating but that's also why it can be as rewarding.

You are one of the ones that would prefer to be told the truth I get that but many wouldn't be as generous, if at all, if they were told the truth so the patter someone is going to give you is going to be the one that gets them the best reward most often. There's also self esteem issues that people don't want to admit to needing cash to score because of the stigma that's still attached to addiction and we need to allow for that.

I'm not saying don't buy the bus pass or the coffee or the burger but ask first whether that's really what they want if so cool if not then decide whether yo want to give them money anyway. Asking for bus fare when you want to score isn't really a con when both parties know it's likely to be bollocks but it's something people play out knowing this.

[FSTZ]

[limb]

There's a tramp woman called Nuela who "works" on my road, the first few times when I met her I gave her money, mostly as I was drunk, after a bit I just thought that's it. I see her maybe 4 or 5 days of the week. Always she comes up and asks have you got an all day buss pass? So she can try to sell it to someone else, and would I like to buy a lighter, and sometimes she tries to sell the big issue. She's dreadlocked, I guess late twenties, looks like a crusty squatter basically. She's turned me off giving money to any homeless people, just through her persistance. She could do something else with her time. Why does she want to just keep begging money of people every day, it must be more effort to do that than a lot of other things. There's about 3 others I see all the time around Moseley, I think it's because it's the right type of nice area, people have money, but they're lefties and they're soft. They aren't really homeless either they're squatters or living in hostels. How can they be homeless when all you have to do to get emergency housing in Birmingham is go to one of the neighbourhood offices and they'll put you up in a hostel somewhere?

[Laika]

I never give them money, but I carry around extra apples and granola bars in my backpack. For one of my classes I wrote a ten page research paper on homelessness in my city and came to find out that there are shelters and churches with more than enough room to feed our homeless population and give them a place to sleep-- the catch is you can't be drunk or strung out, and if you stay for a period of time you are required to actively be looking and applying for jobs. I can't speak for other cities, but homelessness is a lifestyle choice where I live. I still care though, which is why I give out healthy food.

[gwa]

depends on the beggar. can usually call them out if they're lying, doesn't take a rocket scientist.

[capo ultra]

I gave a homeless guy a tenner once cos he looked like he needed a good drink

same guy came up to me next time I saw him and thanked me, said he bought a nice trout fillet or something

If I'd known he was gonna spend it on food instead of booze I wouldn't have gave him the money, cheeky bugger!

[magma]

Depends, but there's a couple on my street I know by name now... such sad stories and brains rapidly going south. It's not a nice situation to be in. One of the dudes on my road (nice street, too) went through 3 months of people writing graffiti about him all over the walls of where he sleeps... whenever he left and came back there'd be a new insult. Fucking horrible existance.

We've got a couple of lockups below street level out the front of our building and noticed that a couple had taken up residence in one of them a while back... we went down and said hello, said we wouldn't say anything to the landlord as long as they didn't cause too much hassle and if they could try and be a bit considerate with their cigarette smoke (they were right outside my housemate's bedroom and it really started to stink)... but they just couldn't do it. They used to have full blown rows at all hours, waking us all up... we'd be all lying in bed deciding at what point in a violent argument between a man and a woman you're supposed to call the police... and they refused to stop smoking outside my housemate's room... eventually we had to ask them to leave.. felt fucking horrible, but we genuinely tried.