When a homeless person asks you for change.....?

Question

....do you give it to them, walk straight on and ignore them, or tell them, like you would any other person, that you will not give them change, in order to not ignore them, (that would be a lack of respect, after all) and, of course, not have to give them change.

And please, none of you give me any of that "thou shalt be generous" crap, of course I can afford to give homeless people all the change they want, but so can you and I am certain that at one point or another in life you've been "ungenerous". This is etiquette, not ethics.

FINE PRINT: Furthermore, I would like to be clear on the fact that I am not in any way implying or otherwise stating that homeless people are dirty lazy disgusting no good crack-smoking child-selling ranting raving useless urban gutter trash. I am forced to be very clear here, I just posted something on the retards amongst us, and almost got shot in the face for that, apparently not all people can read well when they rush thru something on a screen.

Answer 1

Ask them to do a trick first. If its good, let them earn that money.

Answer 2

I have found that homeless people take a little change from each person that they can and they as soon as they have enough they go straight to the liquor store! I don't give them money anymore. If they ask me for money, and it happens quite a bit here, I don't ignore them I tell them no and continue walking. I haven't had any of them be rude to me for that. YET. If there ever came a point and time to where I could end up homeless I'd rather die than live like that.

Answer 3

i always go on my gut feelings anymore. i have seen a lot in the past where people will come up to u n gas stations saying they need money for food & u c them later with beer. i have had them come up 2 me asking 4 money 2 get gas thier car is empty & they r a long ways from home, then the thing is they r at the same gas station (close 2 my home) everytime i go there repeating the same lies. then they r some people i have seen that i have known 2 be living on the streets that really put the money on food that i do help every now & then. i don't know why they can't find work or shelter it's not my business, but i do help them from time 2 time. u just have 2 go on ur instincts i guess.

Answer 4

If I do have change, I will give it to them. I don't really care what they do with it; it's when they tell HOW MUCH they want, that really sucks >:-[

Recently, my husband and I were going out for breakfast and this homeless man asked us for change so he can take the bus to a job he had somewhere in the far suburbs of Chicago.

My husband gave him $2.00 (very generous) and then the homeless guy says - "Can I have $5 for the trip back?"

I'm like, "No, that's all we can shell out, sorry!" The nerve!

My husband says he saw him again approaching people on the street with the same 'I need change for the bus' gimmick.

Oh well...

Answer 5

No, I don't give money to homeless on the street. 1)I'm afraid to do so, and 2)I don't know if that is really helping them. When they ask, I simply say, "Sorry, but no." That being said, I also feel compelled to offer a helping hand to those in need. But for the grace of God, that could be me. So, for me it's not charity, but rather something required of me based upon my social and religious beliefs. I donate money to the United Way and volunteer time/talent/money thru programs at my church. If you really want to give AND help, do it thru a trusted organization. Maybe that way, they can get a meal and a future!

Answer 6

When homeless people ask me for money, I just say "No," generally with a smile. I think it's extremely rude when others just ignore them, or say something stupid (that "get a job" crap). Unfortunately, the way folks behave nowadays etiquette seems to be a thing of the past.

Answer 7

I give them my change and more. One guy was sitting by the road. He was not begging, just sitting there lookin so forlorn. So we drove up to him and handed him a $5.00 bill and he was so happy. He said Thank you, now I can buy something to eat. It is none of my business what the poor do with the small amount of money I give them. One day, I saw a real poor man walking down second avenue, and he looked so poor and skinny. I thought to myself, I am gonna give him some money, so I quickly turned my car around and when I did , I could not see him. HE vanished. Sometimes God tests us , to see how we react to the needy. Could have been an Angel ???
My intentions were good.

Answer 8

I have an x-coworker who bought them food. She asks them if she bought it, would they eat it, and when the answer was yes, went a bought a burger for them. And stuck around to see them take a bite.
I know of someone else who says, I gave to such and such homeless shelter, go there.
It is difficult to know what to do. No one wants to support a drug habit, or alcoholism, and no one wants to get in a confrontation on the street with someone with either.
To me, it is a personal decision, if you want to say "No," or ignore the beggar, or give your change. Personally, if I were accosted by the same beggar frequently, he or she would get a breakfast bar handed to them, or a juice box. Bet they would stop asking me. Thankfully, I am not put in the spot, my place of work and my home are not in the city.
But in this giving, I have been generous, I have not been rude, I am not supporting an addiction.
How difficult could it be to buy of box of wrapped food, put it in a sack, and hand it out?
Just my opinion.

Answer 9

I generally don't give change, but to be honest, I never have any on me. I don't earn much money and am on a very strict budget. I can't afford to be carrying around 'spare' money. Every cent I have is usually earmarked towards paying for some bill!

If I do have change, I sometimes give it. It usually depends on the look of the person though.

Answer 10

Okay I deal with this issue in a karmic sort of way: If I'm in a grocery store and someone is holding the standard "Homeless Please Help" sign, I'll get them a sub sandwich and a bottle of water. That way, I know I did something "good," but didn't aide anyone in buying something like booze or drugs with my hard-earned money. I might want to buy the booze for myself afterall.

Answer 11

I live in an area with plenty of homeless people and I can usually tell the ones that will use the money for booze. I have given them smokes or food but rarely money.