What should I do when walking past homeless people asking for money?

Question

I can not afford to give a donation to each person, but if I just walk by without making eye contact I feel like I am ignoring this person and not treating him with the appropriate dignity he deserves. Is there something I can say to him, if I do not have money to give to him?

Answer 1

You can be honest and tell them that you cannot afford to give them money, many will understand that. Sometimes I give people my left over dinners or some spare change but I cannot afford to give people dollars. I also try not to make too much eye contact, but I also don't want to ingore them. It is a hard situation.

Answer 2

If I can truly afford it, I give homeless people money or offer to buy them food. But how do you know whom to give money to? You have to try to make some contact with each person as a person, not as some statistic or annoyance in your day. If you know a person a little better, you'll know whether it's a scam or if somebody's just down on their luck. You'll also know a little more about the services that person might need--you can study up on outreach services in your area and you can recommend this or that based on what a person is lacking.

If all they want is money, then just say you don't have enough yourself--come on! They understand poverty. A few might give you some sh!t about it, but they're angry and most likely mentally ill and/or addicted to some substance or other. Give potentially dangerous people a wide berth--all homeless people aren't benign and you have to protect yourself.

Show compassion in a smart way and everybody wins.

Answer 3

"Panhandling", as this is known, as is illegal in most states. Not everyone asking for change is homeless, or unemployed. Not making direct eye contact is perfectly acceptable. If the person asks beyond that direct them to an agency such as Salvation Army, Goodwill, DFCS{Dept. of Family and Children Services} and or a Church. It is not your place to give change to every person asking on the street. Granted this may be preceived as cruel, but panhandling is not always because that person is poor or down on their luck. If you want to help those really in need then make a donation to a known, reputible charity locally. That way you know where the money you gave is going.

Answer 4

This is what you should do: What's in YOUR heart. If you have the cash to spare, then give it. We can't sit up here and speculate what the hell each individual person is doing with the money they receive. The thing is that you gave. That's what matters. If they turn around and buy booze, shame on them, not on you because you helped another living soul. And, days when you don't have money, or none to spare, hell--be honest. Say, I'm sorry I don't have any cash. Nothing to feel bad about because you know that when you can give, you do give. By the way, giving to organizations, depending on the one you choose (do your research) does stretch your dollar.

Answer 5

Dont feel bad. Most of the homeless have options available to them. They choose not to use the resources available to them. You have a good nature about you to feel that you might not be giving respect to someone homeless. Maybe you can meet the problem in the middle. You cant give money away to every homeless person out there. But If you get to know someone, instead of money, maybe you can give him things he really needs... (just a thought)

Answer 6

This is something that we deal with quite frequently unfortunately,. I usually walk passed and ignore; however, if you find out a place where they can go for help you could always tell them or hand out a social workers business card. One of my friends once gave a homeless man her beloved bible with her churches phone number in hopes of reaching out to a homeless man in a McDonalds parking lot. The man started crying and was very touched by the incident. The next weekend he showed up at her church. I don't know if he continued to go but she did something for him that nobody had ever done before. She showed him that people do care.

Answer 7

I am going to take the hard line approach here. Not that as a Christian i don't believe in charity, I do and will do what i can to responsibly help another in dire straights. If I give it to a homeless person, it is usually for drugs and booze. Well the money i give them I could spend on booze for me and i won't buy Thunderbird with it. So here is my approach Ala Bill Hicks:

Homeless Person: "Hey buddy you got any money?"

Me: "Yeah, I do, it feels great. Thanks for reminding me."

Answer 8

I personally have "types" of homeless I help. If they are men, with all limbs and perfectly capable of standing in the sun begging for money, I DO NOT give them anything.

If they are women with 2 children who look like they haven't eaten in a long time, I will give them food (never money, they could use it for something else).

Answer 9

Not all of them do deserve to be treated with dignity... But, you never know which one really needs your help. I'd say don't worry too much about it, if you know you can't afford it, you can't afford it. They should have some understanding too towards you.

Answer 10

I'll tell you what I do. I ignore them. If they ask for a handout, I'll either continue to ignore them or tell them I work hard for my money and I don't give it away. I don't believe in hand-outs.
However, if I see someone holding a sign that says "will work for food" or something similar, I will usually help them. I have hired these guys to do stuff around my yard, etc. They work hard, and they appreciate what you do for them. They are taking responsibility for their own situation, and are willing to work in exchange for money just like the rest of us.