How do you feel about street people asking you for money

by I quit! 61 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  moshe

  There are many scams going on right now. I just saw a post on the free section of craigslist with a warning about a woman who calls up posters who offer free stuff and gives them her hardluck story- so she is the one they give their food, TV, treadmill, barbecue grill, patio furniture, bicycle, generator, etc, too. Except one problem, when someone ran a seach of her phone number on that same craigslist it was discovered that all of this stuff was for SALE- some of it she was asking $300 for- she had 3 generators for sale that had been given to her. So this was just a business operation for her and she obtained her merchandise by means of fraud- lying to the public.

  My comeback today for pan-handlers, is that we adopted an orphan from Russia and anything I would give to them, is just money I have to take out of her college fund. So, I am sorry, but I just can't help you.
• 

  nugget

  I've been approached directly twice at railway stations. On the first occasion I'd just bought a pack of sandwiches and had no more money so offered him my sandwiches. He took them and picked out the cucumber because he said it made him burp.

  The second time a young girl asked for money at a London station as she was painfully thin I offered to buy her something to eat but she told me she needed the money for something better and refused the offer of food. I told her I was sorry but I wasn't going to give her money for drugs but if she changed her mind about the food it was still on offer.

  IT is hard if someone is selling big issue I try to buy it as I feel they are trying something to get out of the situation. If someone homeless talks to me I always talk back as they are so often considered invisible. I am a bit of a soft touch on occasion.
• 

  WuzLovesDubs

  I live in S. Florida and there is one, sometimes several, at virtually every intersection. It gets very annoying and you cant tell the ones who really need it from the ones who just want a fix. Some however are so drunk theyre falling off the medians.

  I get off work at 5:30AM and went to the Mobile to get gas next to where I work and I was the only one there aside from whomever was inside at the counter. There was a black guy in a hoodie leaning against the building near the door so I went to the pumps on the other side. Soon as I got hooked up, here comes this fairly young, obviously able bodied guy in the hoodie around the side of the building, with his face shadowed and his hands in his pockets... towards me. Im freaking.... He says "Hey...can ya help a brotha out?" And then I was mad. I said "Are you CRAZY?? How bout you come to MY house and pay MY bills and take care of MY kid's needs? I just came from working for eight hours and I suggest you go TRY IT!" And damned if he didnt stand about 15 feet away from me the ENTIRE TIME I was pumping that gas. I didnt know what he was planning on doing. I got half the gas I intended to get and got back into the car. I drove to the other side of the station LOCKED THE CAR and went in to the clerk. I said "There is a person LURKING outside this gas station who just scared the HELL out of me and if you are ALLOWING him to do that then Im never using this station again as long as you do! And I GUARANTEE you he is scaring away any other female customers you might be getting!" I didnt allow him to even answer.

  I give TONS of things to the Salvation Army and Good Will here. I give food to food banks to make sure it gets to people who need it.
• 

  Lady Lee

  I was sitting here thinking and. . .

  what if panhandlers had to have a licence. No licence? Go to jail and pay a fine.

  How many would be still begging for your money?

  Just for clarification -

  • I worked in the homeless shelter where Nos lives. I know how that system is run.
  • I lived in a homeless shelter in the town I now live in. I know how this system is run.

  Yes there are people who work Mon-Fri and don their begging rags and get out on the street. I suspect they are a minority.

  There are people who refuse welfare preferring to live on the streets and taking pride in how they can rough it. Many are anti-system. They don't want their names on a list. They don't want to live by societies rules. So they make and live by their own. So if they don't want to live by our rules then why ask us for the hand-out? That is a contradiction. Refuse the rules and the money we put into the system so people can benefit but then turn around and beg those who are living by the rules to dole out even more. Hypocritical if you ask me.

  If you really want to help do some of the following:

  • when you go grocery shopping buy a few extra things and put them in the boxes for the food banks. Some non-perishable things that are always needed but rarely thought of:
    • diapers and baby formula and food
    • vitamins
    • those bowls or cups of noodles (many people only have a hot plate)
    • jello (a great treat for children)
    • cereals (without nuts)
    • juice
    • a bag of sugar
    • box of cookies
    • condiments, honey, ketchup, mustard, mayo or salad dressing, etc.
    • snack bars for children's lunches
    • sanitary pads or tampons
    • instant coffee or tea and whitener
    • pasta and pasta sauce
    • box of salt and pepper
    • deodorant
    • shaving cream and razors
    • dish or hand soap
    • hand sanitizer
    • shampoo and conditioner
  • pack up your gently used clothing and give to your local community center that provides clothing to the homeless or fire victims. Include:
    • hats scarves and mittens where the weather requires it
    • socks, shoes, boots
    • coats and jackets
    • sweaters, shirts, skirts and pants. Even good clothing is needed when a person is trying to get a job and get back on their feet.
    • baby and children's wear is always needed and very often still in good condition because children grow so fast
    • slippers, pajamas, housecoats/robes
    • towels, sheets, pillow cases, comforters, curtains even pillows are needed especially for fire victims
  • Old dishes, pots and pans, kitchen utensils, mugs, cutlery, - anything that a family would need to get re-established - just look around to see what you aren't using anymore
  • If you knit or sew make baby blankets or clothes. What new mom wants to put her baby in used clothing?
  • volunteer. There are plenty of places who need the help - homeless shelters, shelters for battered spouses, shelters for homeless kids, food banks, community centers.
• 

  Simon

  I'm sure many are genuine - you can really tell those that are genuinely homeless vs just looking scruffy.

  I think it's best NOT to just give money even though that is the easy thing to do because most will get spent on alcohol or drugs.

  It's better to hand out some food or maybe volunteer at a homeless shelter for an hour to serve up lunch or dinner. We've done that at the Calgary Drop-In Center - the people are really nice and polite and appreciate you taking the time to help.
• 

  I quit!

  Some of the street people I see are too far gone to even bother asking for money. I don't know how they survive. For years I saw a women standing on different corners within about a a half mile radius of where I worked. She had several large suitcase and bags. She had lots of different outfits and odd as it may sound she seemed to like to dress up. Sometimes she would stand for hours with her back to traffic. Sometimes I would see her in front of a Starbucks I go to. The people who worked their told me that when she hung around there she would spend about $20 a day so she had money from somewhere but I never saw her hit anyone up for money or for that matter even acknowledge anyone who walked by her. She seem to be completely in her own world.
• 

  mouthy

  Well there are exceptions to the rule. My Grandson 38yrs old
  was in a very bad accident 10 years ago,He was awarded money as it was not his fault
  He met a woman,married her,started his own buisness had 3 kids, all seemed well.
  But she ran off with his best friend, took half of everything,he was so depressed.
  He worked at his buisness ( fixing homes ,fences,building garages etc:)filed for custody
  Which costs LOTS of money! takes years,! then the worked stopped coming in,of course no
  unemployment INS.as he was his own boss. He will not ask for money from anyone.
  He is in great pain,phsyacally,mentally,finacially,Yes I am ashamed to say to proud to go
  to the food bank, has joint custody of kids,When he is able to pick up work ,the money goes
  to feeding his daughter who wants to live with him.The others come on & off
  So I think Lee ,NOT everyone has it easy in Canada ...Because he got the money for
  the accident he was told he would not be in any condition to work after he was 40
  as he would be in so much pain...he cannot go on disabiliity because of all that money
  True he was foolish with it, lovely car,house with a pool,etc: NOW he lives in a dump of an apartment .
  his wife took half ,furniture ,money,etc. So I feel when some one has the GUTS!! to beg
  they MIGHT need it, or they will eventually suffer from their "habit"

  I "aint" gonna judge them"Mouthy! as usual.
• 

  PEC

  The SoCal a beggar can make upwards of $1000 a day, tax free. If you want to help the needy, give to your local homeless shelter, not someone begging on a street corner. The real homeless that I see, are not physically or mentally able to beg on a street corner. There was one beggar in San Diego, that would borrow other peoples children, to take with her begging.

  Philip
• 

  I quit!

  Wonderful advice Lady Lee on how to help.

  You mentioned how some of them take pride how they survive and buck the system. When I first left the WT I used to smoke once in a while particularly when I went to the beach. One time a street person (then known as bums) hit me up for a cigarette and we got to talking. When I told him I had to go to get ready for work he started making fun of me for being what he thought was a sucker. So I stayed to a while longer to discussed that with him. Before I left he hit me up for a couple more cigarettes. Because I only smoked on occasion I gave him the whole pack. He said are you sure? I told him I only bought it so I could have one or two so he was welcome to them. It was an interesting experience.
• 

  I quit!

  I "ain't" gonna judge them"Mouthy! as usual.

  I think that is a attitude to have about them. Even if their problem is drugs and alcohol you don't know what brought them to the condition they are in. Not everyone's life is cake walk.