# Giving cash to homeless people



## Cosmos (Nov 8, 2017)

I've been hearing the "should you give cash to homeless people?" debate pop up again, so I thought it would be interesting to see what people here think.

The controversy about giving homeless people/panhandlers money mostly boils down to fear of feeding into the addictions of homeless people and/or fraud. Unfortunately, many homeless people are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol and they spend the money they receive on feeding those debilitating addictions. Some "homeless" beggars are straight-up frauds who are trying to make easy money instead of getting a real job. To avoid these problems, it's often suggested to give homeless people food/clothes/etc instead of giving them cash that can be spent on anything.

However, some people argue that homeless people have the right to spend their money on drugs and alcohol, and that it's not our place to judge them. They argue that homeless people are in such a bad place that it's natural to want to escape from it for a little while by using drugs and alcohol. They also argue that homeless people have the right to choose what they spend their money on, just like non-homeless people do.

I'm very sympathetic towards the homeless and people with addictions; they're not bad people, they just need help to get back on their feet. At the same time, though, I'm really uncomfortable with the idea of _funding_ people's addictions. I'm not going to be responsible for someone slowly killing themselves (or outright killing themselves, if they overdose).


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## KM 749 (Nov 8, 2017)

I've always found that soup kitchens are always a more proper way of helping the homeless or the misfortunate that through random donations to random people for unknown causes.

You not only find the typical bums there, but also hard working and typically successful people who are currently in a rough stretch. You know that you are feeding their natural and necessary appetites, and not their addictions or destructive habits.

 Many homeless people will need a lot more than just food to start striving, but feeding them doesn't leave quite as bitter a taste in your mouth as giving them money in the street.


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## CrunkLord420 (Nov 8, 2017)

Having worked and lived around a lot of homeless people. Those who actively beg we're the worst homeless because they seemed utterly entitled, would regularly lie (it's been my birthday everyday for the past 10 years) or hurl abuse at you while standing right outside a liquor store. Those who are actually the most at risk (Eg. old, disheveled men who pick up cigarette butts to smoke) would never beg.

Those who truly need food or clothing will not have too hard of time finding a private/public outreach organization.


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## KM 749 (Nov 8, 2017)

CrunkLord420 said:


> Having worked and lived around a lot of homeless people. Those who actively beg we're the worst homeless because they seemed utterly entitled, would regularly lie (it's been my birthday everyday for the past 10 years) or hurl abuse at you while standing right outside a liquor store. Those who are actually the most at risk (Eg. old, disheveled men who pick up cigarette butts to smoke) would never beg.
> 
> Those who truly need food or clothing will not have too hard of time finding a private/public outreach organization.



A decent way to test the sincerity of a bum on the street is to give them food instead of money, and to see if they are grateful or not.
I've had friends who were literally chased down the street by a bum who they gave a banana to because the bum couldn't smoke it or exchange it for drugs.


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## The Fool (Nov 8, 2017)

This really isn't an all-or-nothing, black-and-white deal. Not all homeless people are the same person in the same situation. Ultimately it's just a matter of judging their character and avoiding insane people who will probably snatch your wallet if you take it out to give them a buck.

Although not directly related to donating to the homeless, I like those guys who buy a bunch of food/water and hand it out to people on the streets. You never really see it, but I wish more people did that.


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## Sailor_Jupiter (Nov 8, 2017)

I prefer to give them food and water if possible, partially because I'm more likely to have those things on me than cash.  I've heard that toiletries and especially NEW SOCKS are really appreciated by them.


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## Hen in a tie (Nov 8, 2017)

I used to live somewhere where it's hard to tell who's genuine and who's faking it. You could give a Beggar $5 for subway but once you walked around the block and came back he would go back to you with the same excuse he gave you last time.
Maybe in other places it's different, but it's best to support programs trying to help and aide homelessness. Recently the last town I lived in is planning on turning old Motels into apartments for the homeless. I've always had a similar idea, but also in the lobby area there would be job help and rehab rooms. There's some people that just need help getting their lives back but it's hard to organize your thoughts sometimes.
Then we have your very mentally ill that won't be able to function at all in society. In that case we should really bring safe Government funded mental institutes, keeping people who will never be able to function properly in safe areas is safe for everyone.

Off-topic but another thing that could help is trying to prevent people from going homeless in the first place, a woman lost her home after fighting cancer. Her medical bills were so expensive that she couldn't recover financially after it. Sure she has her health but she lost everything else to cancer.


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## NIGGO KILLA (Nov 8, 2017)

I like to a-log homeless people


just throw em in the soup hotels


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## AnOminous (Nov 8, 2017)

1864897514651 said:


> Do not give your currency to the homeless if your currency is derived from a federal income tax-paying job.



Give them Dogecoin!


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## Jan_Hus (Nov 8, 2017)

1864897514651 said:


> Do not give your currency to the homeless if your currency is derived from a federal income tax-paying job. Your currency is worthless. Wipe your ass with it and then burn it. Also, currency is both freely given and freely received. You are never forced to give your currency to anyone, and you can make the giving of your currency conditional—even though there is no reason to do so.
> 
> Furthermore, the homeless do not need anything from you. Men are capable of living without your intervention.


HOLY SWEET JESUS YOURE BACK


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## Save Goober (Nov 8, 2017)

One thing Portland does I think is kinda neat is Street Roots. It's a newspaper that is sold by homeless or low income people on the street, that itself covers local issues and poverty issues. People who sell street roots get some income from it and they are not supposed to beg or harass, they just stand on street corners holding the newspaper up and everyone knows what it's for. And you get a pretty cool newspaper to read in return.
Personally I don't give money except really really rarely. I especially don't if they have a dog and are using the dog for sympathy points.. why do you have a dog? :/ I will give homeless people cigarettes if they ask because it's cheap and probably brings them some joy that isn't as bad as drugs. And occasionally I buy people food or coffee or whatever. I see other people doing that pretty frequently too.
Also fuck people that just need "random amount" (it's always a really random amount like $.85) for the bus/train. Especially if they are no where near the bus stop or were walking right by the stop until they saw me and suddenly decided to take the bus.


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## CWCchange (Nov 8, 2017)

The homeless people participating in a charity like a church or non-profit are alright. For bums I see at the same corners for years, or approaching into your boundaries, I pretend to have a blank expression taking no notice of them or anybody else.


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## Bassomatic (Nov 8, 2017)

More and more I've found working in a  large city and for time living in one, if you are homeless you choose to be. The amount of social programs are excessive, we've had to close down, shelters because people don't use them. The budget wasn't slashed either, so the shelters that stayed open, had larger budgets. You can see what that would cause, more goods and services for those who needed/wanted them. 

Even outside of that the amount of charity is near unmeasurable by groups outreach programs etc. This is not true of every area and they love to prey upon tourists whom are unaware. It makes one callous because you see a homeless person here, you can safely say, it's not a hard knock life, it's not a bad break it's a choice. It's either a untreated mental illness or an addiction. 

I've seen people's lives go to shit, I've seen people break down, etc. I do think, over all cities in the US have the most support homeless people migrate FFS. They some how can't get a roof over there head but manage to travel? A lot of working people I know can't afford to relocate to better pastures. Yet some how a bum can? And still has the nerve to ask for cash?

Not helping someone who doesn't want to help them selves but feed self destructive behavior isn't cruel or cold. It's charity in it's own way.

I think the best thing you can do, is wish them well and move on, if you are forced to engage suggest the programs offered, I'd say 98% if that little, the lies start flying out. Aside being homeless, if you are going to lie to me why should I show you any support? That's basic human interaction, I don't care if you said you are raising money to save the whales and spend it on saving dolphins, sure great both are a charity both save sea animals but you asked for something from me for a reason. If you aren't gonna do it, that's dishonest and we all only have a limited amount of money, I choose to give mine to those whom are honest.

The most common thing people ask after money is for a smoke. Smoking isn't cheap, I know that even as a non smoker. But What's the cut off for needing a luxury good? If I opened a go fund me for the airplane I really really want, you'd all laugh at me, and rightfully so. But when a homeless person says, hey can I get some tax free income to spend how I wish ? If not, can I get a luxury good? Why not ask for basic goods? Because those are met. Most of us, meet those with work. 

I don't buy into the "need of an escape so they earn it" mind set, I have bills to pay, I have a family to take care of, where's my escape? Hell the snooze button is all I got, they have no job, nothing to up keep, market shift doesn't worry them, gas prices going up doesn't change their budget etc etc. Sure we working/middle/upper class people have it better but no humans life is pure sunshine and rainbows.

You got free time out the ass, learn to play drums bang on a 5 gallon bucket and put your hat out. Some of those people make pretty damn good money. There's a local guy whos an amputee from vietnam and he does that nice guy. I only chatted briefly but said helps him with his depression it's fun gets to talk to people. No one asks him to be Louis Armstrong he's just a nice old guy blaring away. Maybe he's an addict maybe he's more mentally ill than just depressed but he's doing something and makes money for it.

Stolen valour is always fun with beggers. Once my friend tried helping someone naive to the fact how dishonest they are. He knew just enough lingo to claim he was over seas at the same time my buddy was... I did give him a few seconds before I pulled angry jar head off said hobo.

I should cut back on the coffee, this was long.

tl;dr
No, if anything if you care or not cash harms them more so than not.


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## toilet_rainbow (Nov 8, 2017)

I'd rather donate food to a food bank than give a bum some change. There's just too much of a risk to get harassed or that the change will be used towards an addiction. I once had a dude with obvious meth mouth harass and follow me until I hid in a fast food joint for an hour because he kept trying to take my bag of art supplies since it was proof that I could've given him something. At least with food banks you have a better idea of where your donation is going.


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## CrunkLord420 (Nov 8, 2017)

I forgot the crustpunk kids, who are voluntary homeless. Often travelling across country or just urban camping away from their parents house. They like to camp out in the entertainment district downtown and panhandle money for weed (which they often advertise on their signs).


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## Bassomatic (Nov 8, 2017)

CrunkLord420 said:


> I forgot the crustpunk kids, who are voluntary homeless. Often travelling across country or just urban camping away from their parents house. They like to camp out in the entertainment district downtown and panhandle money for weed (which they often advertise on their signs).


That's it's whole different subculture, do we have a thread about those sub humans?

Lots of them are probably wealthier than most of this site will ever be too.

Speaking of the last part here's something I alluded to before and mentioning weed reminded me :
http://www.denverpost.com/2014/07/2...-of-influx-of-homeless-in-denver-this-summer/
Now if you go to fox news links on this it's the #1 reason
CBS says a non factor over all but, as I mentioned before homeless people can manage to afford to move across the country to get easier access to drugs. Struggle is real amiright?


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## ES 148 (Nov 8, 2017)

I'm iffy on people who just sit there with hats. We don't get many in our town, though, thankfully.

However, if someone approaches you and has an excuse as to why they need the money, offer to go with them and purchase whatever it is for them. If they refuse, then apologise and quickly walk away. If they don't, then you can do your good deed for the day. 


Thing is, I'm very easily intimidated (not that I like that but my 'fight or flight' reaction tends to end up as 'flight') and I feel bad just rejecting people so I often give even the shadiest people money just to stop the pressure. I think that's the problem: beggars, by the nature of what they're doing, prey on pity or compassion (whether maliciously or not) and the ones who walk right up to you also prey on fear - if someone suddenly comes up to you and talks when you're not expecting it, you're caught off-guard and are more likely to be frightened.

I only really mention this because a few months back a woman came up to me and asked for my credit card details, and I ended up giving her £10 instead of noping the fuck out of there because it was so disconcerting. I really can't get over how dumb I was, because she was still hanging around the same street when I passed by again.


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## Sailor_Jupiter (Nov 8, 2017)

Hen in a tie said:


> I used to live somewhere where it's hard to tell who's genuine and who's faking it. You could give a Beggar $5 for subway but once you walked around the block and came back he would go back to you with the same excuse he gave you last time.
> Maybe in other places it's different, but it's best to support programs trying to help and aide homelessness. Recently the last town I lived in is planning on turning old Motels into apartments for the homeless. I've always had a similar idea, but also in the lobby area there would be job help and rehab rooms. There's some people that just need help getting their lives back but it's hard to organize your thoughts sometimes.
> Then we have your very mentally ill that won't be able to function at all in society. In that case we should really bring safe Government funded mental institutes, keeping people who will never be able to function properly in safe areas is safe for everyone.
> 
> Off-topic but another thing that could help is trying to prevent people from going homeless in the first place, a woman lost her home after fighting cancer. Her medical bills were so expensive that she couldn't recover financially after it. Sure she has her health but she lost everything else to cancer.


What sort of people could take a woman fighting cancer's last dollars, and leave her without a home?!?  It boggles my mind that these people exist.  I know drugs and stuff cost money, but let's be honest if she was that hard up most of us would've treated her for free.    People...


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## CrunkLord420 (Nov 8, 2017)

Vrakks said:


> I'm iffy on people who just sit there with hats. We don't get many in our town, though, thankfully.
> 
> However, if someone approaches you and has an excuse as to why they need the money, offer to go with them and purchase whatever it is for them. If they refuse, then apologise and quickly walk away. If they don't, then you can do your good deed for the day.
> 
> ...


A few weeks ago I snapped at one guy, I told him to remember my face and never talk to me again. The dude stands in front of the liquor store I'm constantly walking by and jumps out in front of you dressed in basically a bathrobe holding a cup out to you for money "hey buddy can you help me out!". He actually took some note, he still does it but sometimes he'll go "oh sorry man I didn't see you" or whatever.

I have empathy for the homeless, I just hate beggers. Don't get me started on the dumpster divers who just turn your trash bin inside out, the idea of human recyclers is cool, but not when you cause more societal damage as you do it. They also like to strip copper wiring and leave insulation all over the sidewalks.


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## Lackadaisy (Nov 8, 2017)

Bassomatic said:


> That's it's whole different subculture, do we have a thread about those sub humans?
> 
> Lots of them are probably wealthier than most of this site will ever be too.
> 
> ...



Summer in Denver is crazy when it comes to hobos. A lot of them are temporary transients from other states who come for the concerts, weed, drugs, and booze but clear off by first frost. It's particularly bad in touristy areas and public parks, where they camp out and refuse to be taken to shelters because they can't get high there. Denver actually has a pretty low permanent /winter hobo population for its size.


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## Deadpool (Nov 8, 2017)

I once saw a old guy carrying a sign that said "need money for beer. Will not work." I actually gave him a couple bucks, just because I appreciated the honesty.


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## El Porko Fako (Nov 8, 2017)

I'm in the "give them food, water, and clothing" camp. This way, you can give something to people in need and know that it isn't going to be blown on booze or heroin. I've had and been told of too many bad experiences with giving the homeless money for me to ever give them anything but essentials. I've had friends given food to the homeless before, only to be yelled at by them because they wanted money for drugs instead. There's also a "homeless" guy in my town that begs for money on a busy intersection all day, then ends his day by driving away in his brand spanking new BMW.

I can't believe some people think it's acceptable to fund someone's drug or alcohol addiction because it provides a temporary reprieve to the harshness of homelessness. That is in no way helpful trying to get them back on their feet. I wonder if they would find the "escape" excuse acceptable if the drug addiction they were funding was a family member's instead of a homeless person's.


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## BoingBoingBoi (Nov 8, 2017)

there are better ways to make a difference than giving cash to homeless people, like regularly donating to charities or your local shelters. You're also helping a lot more people that way, since charities tend also to have a volunteer/rehabilitation element to them as well. (and duh tax writeoff). It's easy enough to find out which are legit.  save your pocket cash for street performers.


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## millais (Nov 9, 2017)

I save my empty plastic bottles, fill them with tap water, and use those to bribe the homeless guy who camps out in the laundromat to guard my clothes while I am out running other errands. The value of water increases with the heat and humidity index, so sometimes it's even a better deal for him than cash since storebought water is so pricey

I think if you give homeless people cash, most of them will just piss it away on drugs or alcohol.


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## Ruin (Nov 9, 2017)

melty said:


> One thing Portland does I think is kinda neat is Street Roots. It's a newspaper that is sold by homeless or low income people on the street, that itself covers local issues and poverty issues. People who sell street roots get some income from it and they are not supposed to beg or harass, they just stand on street corners holding the newspaper up and everyone knows what it's for. And you get a pretty cool newspaper to read in return.
> Personally I don't give money except really really rarely. I especially don't if they have a dog and are using the dog for sympathy points.. why do you have a dog? :/ I will give homeless people cigarettes if they ask because it's cheap and probably brings them some joy that isn't as bad as drugs. And occasionally I buy people food or coffee or whatever. I see other people doing that pretty frequently too.
> Also fuck people that just need "random amount" (it's always a really random amount like $.85) for the bus/train. Especially if they are no where near the bus stop or were walking right by the stop until they saw me and suddenly decided to take the bus.



We have a version of that in Madison called Street Pulse. I've read it before and been borderline shocked at how good some of the poetry is. Some of these people had to have had training before becoming homeless.


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## Bassomatic (Nov 9, 2017)

Lackadaisy said:


> Summer in Denver is crazy when it comes to hobos. A lot of them are temporary transients from other states who come for the concerts, weed, drugs, and booze but clear off by first frost. It's particularly bad in touristy areas and public parks, where they camp out and refuse to be taken to shelters because they can't get high there. Denver actually has a pretty low permanent /winter hobo population for its size.


I don't mean to brag I think I do really well for myself.

I can't escape my area's winters. We aren't exactly pot friendly. This is the kind of stuff that helps push me. Guess what? I shovel my car out go to my job and shiver. 

Yet a homeless person moves around where it's cozy and makes sure has drugs on call? Sure I have some nice things and can get credit but they are "snow birds" get high all the time, while I might have some nice watches and rifles and cufflinks.

They don't care I have passions that cost money. They are willing to use me to live a transit hedonist life.


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## AnOminous (Nov 9, 2017)

melty said:


> Personally I don't give money except really really rarely. I especially don't if they have a dog and are using the dog for sympathy points.. why do you have a dog? :/



Sometimes the dog is homeless/feral too.  And if you spend much of your time passed out drunk or in a heroin nod, it's probably good to have a dog that might be smarter than you in that state protecting you.


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## BroccoliBrain (Nov 9, 2017)

I gave a homeless guy some cash and made some friendly conversation with him, then each day I walked past he pretended not to know who I was to get me to give him more money. Fuck that.
There's also homeless dudes who squat in an area of a local mall where it connects to the car parks, so people always have some coins out because they're trying to pay for their parking. The dudes make the place stink like piss even though there's a public toilet less than 20m away.


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## Steve Mayers (Nov 9, 2017)

Tonight I was getting out of my car at about 2am when a homeless guy approached me asking for a dollar so he can catch the bus. I knew he was lying out his ass as the buses don't run that late in my city.


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## The_Truth (Nov 9, 2017)

I don't, around here they're all professional bums.

There was a husband and wife that stood out side a heavily trafficked Costco / Best Buy for at least 12 years.

More recently there's a "veteran" that stands out side of Target. Aside from his completely mismatched uniform he actually started off as a Bernie Bro in around the Spring of 2016 until he realized Bernie supporters only want to spend other peoples money.


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## SwanDive (Nov 9, 2017)

I give them hundreds of dollars so they drink themselves to death. Hey, it keeps them off the streets!


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## ForgedBlades (Nov 9, 2017)

I "volunteered" at a soup kitchen last Friday night. It was required for a class I'm taking.

It's nondenominational, "no questions asked", and serves a hot meal every night of the week. Being the cynical right winger that I am, I didn't want to deal with the people coming through the line, so I opted to man the dishwasher, which gave me the opportunity to observe them from a far.

I'd say maybe a quarter of the people I saw looked "needy", and that's being generous. You imagine these places as a zoo for homeless people in rags, but it was nothing like that. There were a handful of elderly people who probably couldn't feed themselves, a blind autistic man, and a bubbly, charismatic street girl who was probably hooked on something. I was incredibly drawn to her for some reason. I wanted to take her home, nurse her back to health, and cuddle with her. I'm weird like that. 

Most of the people didn't strike me as anything special. I know you can't really judge someone's situation just by looking at them, but still.

I was struck most by a young guy with a fancy haircut wearing a slim cut suit. It was a bizarre sight, watching cute sorority chicks dump rotini pasta on a chipped, worn out plate for him, and watching him eat it with mismatched silverware, probably donated after there were no takers at a garage sale down the street. I imagined him driving away in a BMW after he finished his free meal. I also saw a number of men in hoodies, work boots, and Carhartt overalls, going through the line like it was a cafeteria at a construction site.

I went out to the dining area to collect some dirty plates. A black kid with a new pair of Jordans, scrolling through Snapchat on a late model iPhone looked up and said he hadn't seen me around before. I told him I wasn't really there by choice, and he laughed. He told me straight up the entire thing was a scam. It's the same 50 or so people there every night, and that only a few of them were actually hard up.

"It's free mayne, like the fuck do they expect?"

Indeed.


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## Sailor_Jupiter (Nov 9, 2017)

I don't mind the homeless having dogs. If I had to sleep out on the street with a bunch of unknown people running about you'd better believe I'd get a dog. Besides, the dogs could be homeless themselves, or a beloved family pet from happier days...  I can't begrudge them their dogs.  For some of them, without family, that's the only love they get.


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## Koby_Fish (Nov 10, 2017)

Squealer the Animalist said:


> A decent way to test the sincerity of a bum on the street is to give them food instead of money, and to see if they are grateful or not.
> I've had friends who were literally chased down the street by a bum who they gave a banana to because the bum couldn't smoke it or exchange it for drugs.


there was actually a story in one of the papers a while back, about some guy that bought food and brought it to some homeless begging people that seemed teenage range.  They got angry and threw it on the ground and said they wanted money for drugs instead.


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## Oh Long Johnson (Nov 10, 2017)

Sailor_Jupiter said:


> I don't mind the homeless having dogs. If I had to sleep out on the street with a bunch of unknown people running about you'd better believe I'd get a dog. Besides, the dogs could be homeless themselves, or a beloved family pet from happier days...  I can't begrudge them their dogs.  For some of them, without family, that's the only love they get.


Those aren't the kids' dogs. The group they belong to will have two or three, depending on the size of the commune. Yeah, communes run by old hippies, most of which originate in the California forests. Peace, love and selling lots of drugs, all under the auspices of ancom.

Those kids are taken into whichever city by van, usually. Normally, they are following the festivals. I've seen them from Mexico to Burlington, VT. Over half of these assholes camp out on offramps, causing all manner of trouble.

Needless to say, they should be killed on sight, especially the old hippies, as they are likely child molesters in addition to being Communist evangelists.

As for real homeless people, I believe the best thing you can do for them if you have a shelter nearby is to give the shelter food or dental products. Most of them get monthly food bank shipments but it is not the healthiest fare. I don't recall ever seeing fruit delivered, so fresh or canned fruit and juice would help them with vitamin C deficiencies. Fresh/frozen/canned veggies are fairly limited as well. Toothpaste, toothbrushes and floss aren't always supplied, so a box of dollar store products would help these savages keep a tooth or two, though you can't give them mouthwash for obvious reasons.

I refuse to deal with beggars but have a lot of sympathy for the homeless. Some of them are violent. Nearly all of them are addicts. None of them are people you would invite into your home. But I'll spend a few bucks here and there in the hope that it helps one who needs it and can somehow turn things around one day.


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## heathercho (Nov 10, 2017)

El Porko Fako said:


> I'm in the "give them food, water, and clothing" camp. This way, you can give something to people in need and know that it isn't going to be blown on booze or heroin. I've had and been told of too many bad experiences with giving the homeless money for me to ever give them anything but essentials. I've had friends given food to the homeless before, only to be yelled at by them because they wanted money for drugs instead. There's also a "homeless" guy in my town that begs for money on a busy intersection all day, then ends his day by driving away in his brand spanking new BMW.



How very Doylist. That was basically the synopsis to "The Man with the Twisted Lip".
Which is exactly why I'd never give homeless people money.

One exception - I actually met this really unique homeless older guy living in Tokyo once. He was living under a walkway bridge near Aoyama and he had all his possessions neatly organised, he was very tidy. I eventually asked him if he would like money or food and he said he didn't want to impose because he'd made his own problems in life. I insisted and he said he would just like a drink from the vending machine. 
He told me he had been an alcoholic who had caused problems for his family and failed his children etc. 
He had a genuinely sad story, but was contrite and ok that he was too old and in too poor of health to be useful, but he would volunteer sometimes to tidy up the cemetery and in return he would get shelter and food, as well as finding a lot of food on the streets.

The hobos around here are just smelly and useless. 
Not only that, but Australia has a great welfare system, fantastic charities to help out hobos and if you can't make it by with getting help that way, then you know what? Too fucking bad. 
Also, don't sit there with a sign saying you're homeless. Get up and entertain me or something if you expect my coin.


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## Fareal (Nov 10, 2017)

Oh Long Johnson said:


> Those aren't the kids' dogs. The group they belong to will have two or three, depending on the size of the commune. Yeah, communes run by old hippies, most of which originate in the California forests. Peace, love and selling lots of drugs, all under the auspices of ancom.
> 
> Those kids are taken into whichever city by van, usually. Normally, they are following the festivals. I've seen them from Mexico to Burlington, VT. Over half of these assholes camp out on offramps, causing all manner of trouble.
> 
> ...



Dental products, and please please sanitary products. Managing periods is a huge problem for homeless women and girls, and if you're making donations of stuff to a shelter, a box of sanitary products is usually less than a quid.

Makes an enormous difference from trying to manage with old newspapers in their underwear.

Also, if any of you donate to a food bank or similar organisation near you occasionally, or are thinking of doing so, please donate dental hygiene or sanitary stuff if you can. The food banks add those to the parcels and they make a huge difference to helping people keep clean and to their dignity, especially since most folk using the food banks are going to work and school.

I know most of us are a bit strapped for money, but if your local supermarket has one of those collection bins for food bank donations, even an extra tin of beans won't go to waste if you can afford to stick one in. Thank you x


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## oldTireWater (Nov 10, 2017)

My rules-of-thumb:
- Generic panhandler (while in a vehicle or on foot): Fuck no.
- Panhandler with a dog: Sometimes yes, if they catch me by surprise.
- Bum asking me for a beer or cigarette: Almost always yes. 
- Likely transients passing through in a POS vehicle: Usually yes. These are the only ones I would give more than loose change to. 

I don't do hitchhikers anymore though.


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## John Titor (Nov 11, 2017)

I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt but there was one certain situation where I think I was almost scammed. Technically, she wasn't a vagrant but she asked if I could buy her groceries because she lives far away and she accidentally left her phone in her husband's car and offered to pay me back; so I offered her to buy milk (she declined for some reason, hmm....). I was in a hurry and wasn't thinking clearly so my bullshit radar wasn't activated; it wasn't until later that I realize that her story did not add up. If I wasn't in a hurry, I think I should have called her out on it.


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## Cosmos (Nov 11, 2017)

Fareal said:


> Dental products, and please please sanitary products. Managing periods is a huge problem for homeless women and girls, and if you're making donations of stuff to a shelter, a box of sanitary products is usually less than a quid.
> 
> Makes an enormous difference from trying to manage with old newspapers in their underwear.
> 
> ...


I went to a Catholic high school where we had to do a lot of service hours to graduate. One year I helped organize a hygiene drive; we collected a lot of shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrushes, sanitary items, and other hygiene products. I still remember dropping them off at the charity we had chosen and seeing how grateful the workers were. There was a lot of food there, but a dwindling supply of hygiene products; the staff told us that people rarely think to donate things like toothpaste or deodorant so they always run low. 

If you decide to donate to a shelter or food bank, definitely try to include hygiene products. Small or even travel-size products can still make.a big difference.


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## Morose_Obesity (Nov 11, 2017)

I have experience in social work, unfortunately I am too much of a prick to be ethical.
 Cash can really disrupt an addict’s day, they should get food, clothing and good referalls to services. 
 Socks, underwear, travel size toiletries, single use bus passes. That shit helps though you’ll catch the fuckers trying to sell the bus passes.

 Peanut butter and plastic spoons are good to give.

 I knew this fucktard named Eddie, had some kind of weak ass composition, one sip of pissbeer would turn him into a flaming idiot.
 He lived in a boardinghouse that was barely above being on the streets with his hamgalaxy wife. I got a picture of him harassing my former roomie (shirtless, full mullet action) but the pic would powerlevel me.


 His wife came back from work (McDonald’s) and flashed a $20 peeking out of her bra. Hours later, he was nude and had busted out the windows in their flophouse room. Real Reno 911 type of shit but less funny.
 I lived on the street this flophouse was in and had to give up on helping these people and instead switched my efforts to getting the flophouse shut down. Way too much white trash and ghetto shit gling on.

 We did do it, eventually. That shithole was gone.
 And yes, this was South Carolina about a decade ago.

No true sjws at that time to stop me.


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## ICametoLurk (Nov 11, 2017)

Homeless people should go and culturally enrich Africa.

Call it an exchange program.


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## LagoonaBlue (Nov 11, 2017)

Half of the beggars you see when I live aren't even homeless.  They claim to be but most of them have secretly got council flats on the other side of town.

So no, I wouldn't give money to a homeless person.  I'd happily give money to a charity that helps the homeless though.


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## Pointandlaugh (Nov 11, 2017)

There are a lot more homeless people than before, around every corner in my area. Pretty disheartening. I don't mind giving some cash if I have any.


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## Koby_Fish (Nov 12, 2017)

up round my way, there started to be this phenomenon of beggars straddling the median separating the oncoming traffic from the left-turn lane.  In some places this is little more than a concrete jersey barrier that they sit on.  In others, it's what's called a traffic "island" which can be about a foot or so wide.  They'll park themselves on these islands and beg from motorists who are waiting for the green left turn arrow.

This is highly dangerous for the beggar, and the police have rightly told people not to encourage this behavior precisely because it is dangerous (when traffic gets moving again because there goes the green arrow), but every now and then I'll see people handing money to left turn lane beggars.


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## Daughter of Cernunnos (Nov 12, 2017)

I have a lot of empathy for the misfortunate and downtrodden but I'm not going to fuel a slow suicide by smack. Donate easily snackable food that homeless can eat without preparing and stores easy and long to a food bank, don't bother donating money to a food bank they let food expire too much, pasta and beans is not good specifically for homeless cuz they can't cook but good for poor people with homes and kitchens. Hygiene items are always in demand. Dog food too for the homeless people's dogs. One time I offered a homeless guy begging me for money one of my cinnamon buns and he wouldn't take any food but he wanted lots of money.


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## Slumber Crasher (Nov 12, 2017)

I think it has the potential to be a good thing or a bad thing.  Homeless people are in that situation for  wide variety of different reasons.  Some are scumbags who put themselves there, some are scam artists who take off their ratty clothes at the end of the day and drive home to the suburbs at night, and some of them just have impossibly shit luck and don't deserve to be there.  So you're always taking a chance when you give to the homeless, but it's not necessarily a bad thing.  I prefer to offer hard up looking folks a coffee and a sandwich rather than give them cash; I've seen a man take my donated money and immediately buy as many scratch tickets as he could afford with it without even trying to hide it.  I'll reiterate what others have said, too: Working in an organization like a soup kitchen or food bank is usually the most rewarding and effective way to help those less fortunate.

I don't know why but I feel really weird about the beggars who approach you while you're stopped in your car.  I don't give to those.  I have no logical reason, it just strikes me as a bit off.


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## Fulda's Gap (Nov 12, 2017)

You'd be surprised how frank most homeless are. They understand their position and are unashamed to tell you how they got themselves there. It's why I feel fine with giving them food. Not money, food. Addictions cloud logic, so it's best if you schlop on down to a burger joint, buy them a meal, and then give it to them. I usually replace the soda with a large water. It saves me a little cash but, more importantly, it's the superior option for their health. After all, they usually don't need any help degrading there. 

I do have a problem with these rich-faggot youtubers that think making it rain on the homeless is funny. "Oh look I can toss money on these guys I'm that cool! And I'm generous!" I got a better idea, boyo: Take that money you were just going to dirty up by making it rain while looking like a dickhead and put them up in a hotel for a while. I mean a whiiiiile. It doesn't need to be a fancy hotel, either. Anything will seem five star to them. Put them up in a hotel, tell them to clean up, and help them job hunt once they're clean. Insist they seek treatment for any addictions they may have. In fact, make that a sticking point. Sobriety is the only way to ensure your assistance.

Once you find them a job and get them back on their feet? Congratulations, you're actually a fantastic person and you're much better than you would have been by simply dropping cash on them for clicks.


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## Clownfish (Nov 12, 2017)

Depends. If a nation got a bunch of male neets (and military vets to boot) it's a bad idea to not have welfare.

The whole point of charity and welfare is to keep the more troublesome elements of society comfortable so they don't riot or try to over throw the current government.

On the other hand:






As for giving to food banks? Please donate can openers.


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## Mikeula (Nov 12, 2017)

Would never give money to a homeless person. The only thing I will give to the homeless for free is herpes and a ride back to their cardboard box after I am done with them.


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