Ever give donations to street people?

skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
edited March 2009 in Strut Central
What's your policy?
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  Comments


  • Honesty goes a long way. If some dude around my place says to me, "Hey, I'm trying to get a beer...", 9 times of 10, I'll buy him one.

    Fake-ass punk street kids in Berkeley can get a cigarette or two from me, but no money evar.

    There is/was a great homeless guy in Detroit, named Larry, who used to hang around the Magic Stick and play a bucket. I used to bring him drums sticks about once a month -- sometime hook him up with whatever I could. Before I moved out to California, I gave him $40 dollars! He was great -- I have no regrets about dropping some money on him.

  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    I'm a heartless bastard and never give anything.

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    Sometimes it takes more heart not to give.

    This morning, I gave some cash to a guy living rough in a subway (no ayo).

    We chatted. He takes no funds from the state. He doesn't do begging per se, but relies on the local sandwich shops running a charity end-of-day giveaway service.

    There were no beer cans or wine bottles around, but I only realised that after the donation. So I think the donation was impulsive, but based on subliminal/unconscious appraisal of whether this guy was going to blow the loot on some Thunderbird or whatever.

    Then I'm thinking, even if he does blow it, who am I to impose moral judgement on how he should spend whatever meagre funds come his way. And that my donation might just be some guilt-ridden sop to having access to stuff that this bloke doesn't. Then I thought, who gives a toss? But on the other hand....

    Then I'm thinking, I'm overthinking this, let the SS social scientists school me about the ramifications of handing a fist full of shrapnel to a vagrant.

  • DrBorisQDrBorisQ 298 Posts
    In the first world yes, in the developing world generally no.

  • sabadabadasabadabada 5,966 Posts
    Everyone who asks.

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    OK....

    please give me your minty OG Embalo

    Thanks

  • sabadabadasabadabada 5,966 Posts
    I said everyone, but I didn't say anything.

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    I will accept a Verocai.

    Much obliged.

  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    Sometimes it takes more heart not to give.

    This is what I tell myself on a daily basis.

    Although never the kind of fella who was predisposed to random acts of charity I fear any goodwill has been battered out of me by the daily adventure of avoiding the hordes of physical spammers who block the pavement desperately urging me to spend a day paintballing, go-karting or leching at some underfed eastern european women.

    These days it's head down, shoulders squared and headphones in.

    Still I admire all those who do take the time and give a little.

  • magpaulmagpaul 1,314 Posts
    JOKER Ian Wilson told last night how he dishes out fake ??20 notes to street beggars ??? with directions to their nearest JOBCENTRE.[/b]

    Cheeky Ian hands out the toy cash which he folds up to cover the photocopied maps.

    And as homeless charities branded his antics ???cruel???, fed-up Ian vowed to keep up his campaign against cadging.

    He said: ???Why sit on a cold street in winter holding up a piece of cardboard saying they are homeless when they could be looking for a job?

    ???They get all these benefits and yet they still have the cheek to just sit there in the street and beg for more money.

    ???They are happy to harass us and ask us for money so I thought I would give them a taste of their own medicine.

    Drugs

    ???If these people really wanted they could get up off their backsides and get a job.???

    He added: ???This has nothing to do with homelessness but it does have to do with buying drugs. I have no animosity to anyone. I???m merely making a helpful suggestion to them.???

    Ian, of Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire, refused to give his age but admitted he took early retirement from his career as a childcare worker.

    The dad-of-one gave out a wad of notes, maps and well-meaning advice in Glasgow and Paisley over the festive period.

    He bought the ???Sponge Bob Christmas Bank??? cash from the famous Barras market.

    Ian added: ???I must have handed out more than 20. Relatives and friends have not disagreed with me. It was purely a protest about these folk. Some of them, I???ve been told, can make over ??30 in a day.

    ???This is about our culture of having decent, hard-working folk paying for this lot who harass us and hang about our streets.??? Ian told how one beggar complained to a passing police patrol over his prank.

    He said: ???The officers told me I had better watch out because handing out the notes might get me into bother.

    Funny

    ???The more we talked about why I was doing it the more they saw the funny side.???

    But homeless charity Shelter insisted begging is a ???national shame???. Head of policy Gavin Corbett said: ???This seems a pretty cruel trick to play.???

    A spokesman for homelessness group Crisis said: ???Very few people choose homelessness, it can happen to anyone for a variety of reasons. They need support not hostility.???

    Strathclyde Police last night said Ian had not committed any offence and his actions were being treated as someone innocently handing out flyers.


  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    Charity muggers get the ice grill.

    Big Issue folk, well I might buy one or two a year. It's not a great read. One seller at Liverpool Street was idly chatting on a mobile yesterday. GTFOOH fella.

    People aggressively offloading free newspapers and tutting if you don't take one, well they are lucky not to get the full icy blast of a Kinnear-style rap.

  • markus71markus71 937 Posts
    I work in an assertive community treatment team and since my town isn't that big (aprox 300.000 inhabitants) I know a lot of 'street people'. Most of them live in shelters.
    Sometimes they don't recognize me and ask me for money because (they say) they need a place to stay for the night. Usually this means they need money so they can score. I just say "Come on, I know you live in a hostel that's all paid for". In that case I certainly won't give anything. When I don't know them I do most of the time.

  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    i have no 'policy' if i want to give my money to someone i will, if i do not, i wont, this is based on a decision i make at the time based on my perception of the situation.

    I have been homeless myself, but i never relied upon handouts, i worked for my money, shit: i ate outta dumpsters, but i have no mental health problems either, so any mass comparison or generalization is worthless.

    we have all seen scammers and fake 'homeless' but we have , i am sure all seen folks who legitimately need a helping hand, and giving some money to those folks is an honorable thing to do.

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    .

    we have all seen scammers and fake 'homeless' but we have , i am sure all seen folks who legitimately need a helping hand, and giving some money to those folks is an honorable thing to do.

    Agreed, but I wonder what the consensus is within the community of professionals in this field; is there a feeling that all handouts delay the need to address the root causes, for example by allowing an individual achoholic just to carry on as usual? How can the general public ever truly know who 'legitimately needs a helping hand' and who is fake? Certainly not on visual impact alone. Do handouts simply take the onus from the State to Do Something?

  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    "Some of these guys look healthy but they're just bums. The very idea. They want me to just give them the hard earned money my folks send to me every week. "You leech. Get a job, my dad works eight hours a day for this money."

    "You ever get those bums that turn mental on you? "Sorry, I don't got any money."

    "MOTHERFUCKER!" "Wo wo, where's my checkbook? Hold on. Is that Mr. Bum? How do I make it out? Is that Capital Vagrant? I didn't know you were psycho, definitely wasn't your personality that put you on the street was it?"

    With another guy, he said, "Thanks a lot, buddy. You don't know what it's like to be broke!" I said, "Yeah I do, that's why I work. I know exactly what it's like. You sleep on the pavement, you dig through the garbage for food and you bum money from strangers. Am I right?"

  • PrimeCutsLtdPrimeCutsLtd jersey fresh 2,632 Posts
    Hell no.

  • ZEN2ZEN2 1,540 Posts
    I don't give out money to anyone. I've tried on multiple occasions to help homeless people out by offering food or clothing but have been refused, so I've got little sympathy left. For a while I was working in the office of a temporary labor company and would offer homeless people jobs. Again, I was refused repeatedly.

    It actually pisses me off when I see people handing out money in my neighborhood. If these fuckers keep getting handouts they'll never go away! That means they'll continue to piss on my back steps, harass my girl, and steal shit from my porch.
    If I could help these folks I would, but all they want is cash.
    GTFOOHWTBS.

    Disclaimer: this is Richmond, and we're "unique" you could say. It's very likely you've had different experiences in your city, but in Richmond the number of actual "down-on-my-luck" homeless are few and far between. Most here are just drunks, drunk addicts, sexual predators, and/or general lazy pieces of shit.

  • ZEN2ZEN2 1,540 Posts
    "Some of these guys look healthy but they're just bums. The very idea. They want me to just give them the hard earned money my folks send to me every week. "You leech. Get a job, my dad works eight hours a day for this money."

    "You ever get those bums that turn mental on you? "Sorry, I don't got any money."

    "MOTHERFUCKER!" "Wo wo, where's my checkbook? Hold on. Is that Mr. Bum? How do I make it out? Is that Capital Vagrant? I didn't know you were psycho, definitely wasn't your personality that put you on the street was it?"

    With another guy, he said, "Thanks a lot, buddy. You don't know what it's like to be broke!" I said, "Yeah I do, that's why I work. I know exactly what it's like. You sleep on the pavement, you dig through the garbage for food and you bum money from strangers. Am I right?"


  • markus71markus71 937 Posts
    .

    we have all seen scammers and fake 'homeless' but we have , i am sure all seen folks who legitimately need a helping hand, and giving some money to those folks is an honorable thing to do.

    Agreed, but I wonder what the consensus is within the community of professionals in this field; is there a feeling that all handouts delay the need to address the root causes, for example by allowing an individual achoholic just to carry on as usual? How can the general public ever truly know who 'legitimately needs a helping hand' and who is fake? Certainly not on visual impact alone. Do handouts simply take the onus from the State to Do Something?

    Most people we find begging on the streets are not always homeless in the sense that they have a roof over their heads. In most cases these people suffer from a psychiatric disease (schizofrenia mostly) often combined with an alcohol or drugaddiction. This makes it especially difficult to treat these people properly.
    I don't think it will speed up the proces of them seeking or getting help by stopping donations or handouts.
    I have seen people who simply don't want help or allow caregivers to reach them because of their disease or they have been dissapointed too many times in the past.

  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    My favorite panhandler in Dallas was a real angry dwarf who would curse if you didn't give him money.

    One day the local TV News did a story on him and followed him home after his shift at a 4 way intersection....he went to the bank, deposited money and then got on a bus to Shreveport where he gambled a few hundred bucks at the Casino.

  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,885 Posts
    ex-GF is a drugs counsellor. 95% of folks on the street are on heroin or worse. The others are just scamming; take the coin, walk to the Sainsbury's car park and drive home.

    True homeless folk have usually come from homes where they were abused or kicked out for being addicts already, usually after they have stolen from every last one of their friends and family. They have to get their fix.

    It's like being able to stick your head in the sand while the stark reality of life passes you by. The long-term plan is to repeat this short-term plan daily until you die. Taking the bull by the horns is not an option in a lot of their circumstances. It's heartbreaking and unfair. Life can be like that.

    My own thoughts are actually NOT to get them off Heroin first. It's to give them something constructive to do in the day, and let them fix around it. Then work on reducing the need for the fix. A surprising amount of addicts are professionals who can hold down long-hour jobs, because they don't need to go out and steal to afford their habit. But it will eventually hammer your health.

    I don't encounter beggars on the reg anymore but I've given a few ??20's away if they are lucid enough. Rather they don't have to mug my mum for it (she's been mugged before, she didn't like it).

    It always divides opinion.

    We went to Marrakech in 2008 for my 40th. 8 of us. We were eating in the square at night, and basically you get a mountain of food for about ??2. It's edible, reasonably tasty, but you'd struggle to neck half of it, such are the portions. Old woman with nipper, true street folk, are hovering around the end of the table where we are, looking for scraps. Wife gives her plate to them. They start to put the food into carrier bags. It's obvious they are actually going to eat it.

    Bloke who owns the stall is telling them to stop hassling us, but Mrs says "I don't mind, they can have it." Then my mate pipes up. "NO. Don't have them dirty [email]b@stards[/email] near me or my food!" he says to my Mrs. She tells him it's her food and she can do what she wants with it. They ice-grill each other for a few seconds, then we get up and leave. Urchin and urchin pile into our seats to grab the leftovers.

    Old woman sends little girl over, who hugs my Mrs. Old woman blows my Mrs a kiss; little girl is beautiful and has a smile that would melt the devil's heart. It was truly humbling.

    Mrs has a go at my mate. Talmbout he's never seen true poverty and that considering *his* Mrs was preggers at the time, he might feel differently when he sees little kids starving and he's got a plateful of food he doesn't need. Mate comes with the smug villain-face "You don't know me very well, then." line. Seems I didn't either.

    We don't have much to do with them now, it kind of ruined the trip for the Mrs.

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    My favorite panhandler in Dallas was a real angry dwarf who would curse if you didn't give him money.

    One day the local TV News did a story on him and followed him home after his shift at a 4 way intersection....he went to the bank, deposited money and then got on a bus to Shreveport where he gambled a few hundred bucks at the Casino.

    LOL

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    ex-GF is a drugs counsellor. 95% of folks on the street are on heroin or worse. The others are just scamming; take the coin, walk to the Sainsbury's car park and drive home.

    True homeless folk have usually come from homes where they were abused or kicked out for being addicts already, usually after they have stolen from every last one of their friends and family. They have to get their fix.

    It's like being able to stick your head in the sand while the stark reality of life passes you by. The long-term plan is to repeat this short-term plan daily until you die. Taking the bull by the horns is not an option in a lot of their circumstances. It's heartbreaking and unfair. Life can be like that.

    My own thoughts are actually NOT to get them off Heroin first. It's to give them something constructive to do in the day, and let them fix around it. Then work on reducing the need for the fix. A surprising amount of addicts are professionals who can hold down long-hour jobs, because they don't need to go out and steal to afford their habit. But it will eventually hammer your health.

    I don't encounter beggars on the reg anymore but I've given a few ??20's away if they are lucid enough. Rather they don't have to mug my mum for it (she's been mugged before, she didn't like it).

    It always divides opinion.

    We went to Marrakech in 2008 for my 40th. 8 of us. We were eating in the square at night, and basically you get a mountain of food for about ??2. It's edible, reasonably tasty, but you'd struggle to neck half of it, such are the portions. Old woman with nipper, true street folk, are hovering around the end of the table where we are, looking for scraps. Wife gives her plate to them. They start to put the food into carrier bags. It's obvious they are actually going to eat it.

    Bloke who owns the stall is telling them to stop hassling us, but Mrs says "I don't mind, they can have it." Then my mate pipes up. "NO. Don't have them dirty [Email]b@stards[/Email] near me or my food!" he says to my Mrs. She tells him it's her food and she can do what she wants with it. They ice-grill each other for a few seconds, then we get up and leave. Urchin and urchin pile into our seats to grab the leftovers.

    Old woman sends little girl over, who hugs my Mrs. Old woman blows my Mrs a kiss; little girl is beautiful and has a smile that would melt the devil's heart. It was truly humbling.

    Mrs has a go at my mate. Talmbout he's never seen true poverty and that considering *his* Mrs was preggers at the time, he might feel differently when he sees little kids starving and he's got a plateful of food he doesn't need. Mate comes with the smug villain-face "You don't know me very well, then." line. Seems I didn't either.

    We don't have much to do with them now, it kind of ruined the trip for the Mrs.


    ^^^^^^^^
    REAL TALK

  • FrankFrank 2,370 Posts
    When I came back to berlin for a visit after having lived in West Africa for a while, I saw some kid begging for money by shaking a plastic cup with coins in front of everybody's face while eating a 2,- Euro Moevenpick posickle. I was very close to grabbing the cup, punching him in the face and walking away with his money.

    I used to give to "real" homelsess people all the time but these f*cking kids get me mad. Especially those fucks here in NYC with their boutique "punk" clothes. I should buy gloves so I can punch them without the fear of herpes.

  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    No. F*ck, Im barely makin it and I have 2 jobs(three if you count DJing)...if I miss a couple paychecks I will be close to being out on my ass, so I dont have taking care of others I dont love in my budget, sorry...plus, I dont really carry cash with me any more...I just say "you take debit cards?" when they ask for money, they just turn to someone else when I say that...

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    I don't, generally. Sometimes I make exceptions based on the situation.

    One thing that qualifies you as a total douche is saying some smart-ass shit to an old/disabled/drug addled panhandler. Save that shit for the teenagers bumming beer change. Guys that feel it necessary to yell "get a job!" (or some of the other wisecracks in this thread) at broken down dope fiends surely possess immeasurably small penises.

  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
    No I don't give money, but my wife will buy people food or a cup of coffee. The road side dudes with signs work in shifts like store clerks. I don't give them a dime.

    I get people asking me for gas money at the pump all the time, like "I'm driving to South Carolina and ran out of gas money." Well you probably shouldn't be taking a long road trip without money for gas.

    I even get people trying to run game at my front door with stories about needing gas money so their neighbor can drive them to the hospital to see their dying wife. WTF kind of convoluted bullshit is that.

  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    if a grown man is in a situation where he is pressed to ask for change, i'll at least assess the situation,look him on the eye and say "no,sorry man". i'll also peel off a buck every now and then if it seems right. thats no easy shit to do, to swallow self respect and do that shit. if a guys demeanor screams junkie or drunk, they get denied, but you cant ever be sure, so im sure ive fed habits now and then.

  • selperfugeselperfuge 1,165 Posts
    i never give money. too many professionals out there. F*ck those clowns with the UHO water bottles. that is a semi-legitimate organization, basically just a sham pyramid scheme.

    there was a tired kid on the 2 train one morning two weeks ago. she was leaning on her luggage asleep. not until some lady slipped a dollar in her coat did i realize that she had been riding trains all night with only some pork rinds for dinner. i slipped a twenty in her coat pocket.

    the only other time i can recall giving was '99 or '00. on the J train. this woman with a huge black eye comes on with two kids and announces how she left her man and has nowhere to go, just needs fleabag hotel money. she must have got $200-$300 everyone opened up for her, it was a real struggle for her to ask. she jumped directly off after one stop. really heartbreaking, but amazing to see people react so swiftly.
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