Would You Give To A Homeless Person On The Street??

Question

Ok, now I know this has been asked alot but I just read another question like this and the answers pissed me off. If a homeless person asked you for a few dollars would you give it to them? Now before you say "they will just use it for drugs or alcohol" stop and have a think.. Does it really matter?? If they use drugs or alcohol to make living on the streets bearable give them a damn break.... And before you answer "why don't they get a job" again stop and think... What jobs are they going to apply for with no resume, no appropriate clothes, no references, no home, no shower and no transport? Who would hire them? Why are people so cheap when it comes to the homeless?? You have a home and food and a warm bed so give them some money!!!!

William B you're a **** head

Answer 1

my excuse for giving is--there but for grace of god go I. Those who say homeless is their fault don't know. you can get in a situation you can't get out of. One too many rent increases or an ex who took the car and left the kids and no money. It is better to give them help but when you see them sleeping on cardboard on cold concrete you know they don't do it by choice.

Answer 2

No, I don't give them money...because yes they do use it for drugs and alcohol, almost 95% of the time. I would give them a lift somewhere if needed, or a meal if the situation arose...but not money. Yes, it does matter...it is like giving your alcoholic son or daughter or neighbor or friend a bottle of Vodka for their birthday.
I volunteered for some time at a local charity, that was not a homeless shelter, but a privately run organization that ran a meal wagon out TO the homeless people on the streets. He offered them, warm meals, coffee, clothes and blankets, and an ear and advice where to go if asked. Many of these people were veteran homeless people who had no intention of ever finding a home, for many reasons...and the main one was, their addiction. The man who founded this organization had been homeless himself and went by the theory and told all of us many times, money does not help them...time and the necessities of life are what they need most.
The man I have worked for for 3 years now, does hire many people who are down on their luck, drug addicts and such. He owns rentals and is always needing help with the rehab of them. He goes through these people like a child does candy. The reason, they are very unreliable.....
My main point here is....a person has to want to change, there is only so much you can do to help them. Money in their pocket to feed their addiction is not helping, but enabling.

Answer 3

I was on the way to a sporting event and a homeless guy was holding a sign... Give me beer money.. !! NO JOKE so I gave him a quarter at least he was honest ! Generally, NO I don't give homeless people money.. I work very hard to have the few things in life that I have- hell the homeless beggers probably make more money than I do working... I have however given food, clothing to a homeless couple on my way to work... They threw the food at me because there was no money with it... Oh well no good deed goes unpunished ! So, I stopped that as well... Life is what you make of it. My husband and I work because we choose NOT to be homeless. We have worked two jobs each so that we can take care of our famiy.. You either roll with life or it rolls over you.. If everyone stopped giving money to the homeless the streets wouldn't be full of homeless people begging... They would have to do something else with their time like maybe working ! However, that's NOT going to happen.. Also, many homeless people have "mental disorders" and should be under medical care but, giving them money isn't going to solve anything.. Maybe, donating your time to volunteer at a soup kitchen, clothing drive or other charitable cause is much better than giving "spare" change on the streets.. I give clothing, bedding, towels etc.. to charity every year..

Answer 4

i would not give them money. i would give them warm clothing or blankets, i might take them somewhere warm and buy them a meal or a cup of coffee, but i would not hand them cash. i have worked with the homeless population and it does no good to hand over cash. there are many programs available today that offer housing, clothing, food and other assistance for homeless adults and families. too often, the homeless simply refuse to seek out the assistance until cold weather sets in or some factor like that prompts them to. alcohol and drugs do NOT play a factor in all homelessness, but a majority of those homeless are unemployed because of substance abuse issues.

the sad part of this is that there are more and more families with young children facing homelessness due to loss of jobs, low wages not keeping up with the exploding cost of living and people facing financial ruin due to medical expenses and lack of health insurance.

homelessness is a society wide problem with many causes- and there are many who are homeless by choice (believe it!). handing out cash isn't going to help solve the problems and it's only a bandaid fix for the ones given the cash, no matter what they use the money for.

and yes, i DO feel it's a problem when someone is given cash and the go out and buy drugs or booze with it. these are the people who end up in the emergency rooms getting treatment for pneumonia, overdoses, injuries from fighting... and they get that treatment at the expense of all the rest of us, even those who are responsible and work and still can;t afford insurance or health care themselves.

Answer 5

No. Give your money to a charity that is equipped with facilities and people who are working to help the homeless. There are many shelters and many options for those who are in need.

You may not like it but the fact is: The money most likely will go towards alcohol, drugs or some other self-destructive habit.

If you really want to help a homeless person then help by providing information so they can get themselves out of their situation.

Giving them money is only a short term solution and doesn't address the bigger issue. There is more to it than just "making life more bearable". This statement alone implies that you don't see any hope for them so you hand over money so they can continue to be on the streets but at least it's a little better for the moment.

If you really want to help those in need then volunteer at a kitchen or canteen for one of the charities - I'm sure there will be one or two where you live. Volunteer at one of the shelters or donate money to one of the shelters so they can continue to provide help to those who need it.

And, it DOES matter if you are giving your money to someone who you know is going to buy alcohol or drugs and the money won't go to helping them out or feeding them or educating them. You are enabling them to stay in their situation which isn't really helpful at all. It is actually quite abusive when you really look at it.

If it were one of your loved ones and you saw them going down the pan because of an addiction. Ask yourself if you would give them money to buy the drugs or alcohol or would you try to help them make a better life?

It's easy to state the things you wrote if you aren't involved with the person in question but the reality is much more complex.

The "get a job" reference is indeed cruel, especially in a country like America but to have the attitude of "who would hire them?" because of a list of negative reasons is just not helpful and it is the "giving up" mindset. How do you know that someone won't hire them? Give them a break. They have enough negativity and hopelessness without strangers perpetuating this nonsense.

Here in the UK, there is a magazine called the BIG ISSUE and is a magazine about the homeless and is sold by them. The vendors aren't allowed to "beg" but instead sell the magazines. It is highly regarded and has lots of articles with bands, actors, politicians - you name it - anything new and happening.

Here is the BIG ISSUE's link. You may find it interesting and also educational. It may seem harsh to you not to give money to someone on the street but sometimes we have to look at how we can really help. Handing over your money is only adding to the problem. Until people help to break the cycle, those on the streets will continue to stay in ruts and not seek help.

http://www.bigissue.com/bigissue.html

Here's one of their stories about someone getting back on their feet:

http://www.bigissue.co.uk/Johnsstory.html


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Answer 6

I would give them job applications. I'm sorry don't take this all wrong, but, that's what they need. I do feel for homeless don't get me wrong, but, i have found that most people find it easier to beg than to go out an get a job. Yes it is hard to get a job without transportation, but, NOT impossible. I also know lots of people including myself that hire homeless people and help them to get on there feet. There are many jobs that can be done, where they don't have to have to nice clothes to work there. Many owners of lawn businesses and lots of other places could care less what someone is wearing!! People really need to start helping there self!! When i see people on the side of the road holding signs that they say need money to eat they should be asking for a JOB instead!!

Answer 7

Yes, I have, if I think they're genuine. But there's the scammers too. I've been in Grand Central Station in NYC a few times and there's always ppl there in the afternoon rush hour asking for money to buy a train ticket home. Several times I offered to buy them the ticket they needed. They just walked past and asked the next guy for a couple of bucks. So they're liars, they don't want train tickets home, the want the cash. I detest that.

Answer 8

With our current homeland security measures and the documents needed to get any meaningful job-even pushing a broom, we will see a growing number of homeless. Add to this the stress and depression, (and don't forget inability, fear and mistrust) anyone may end up walking in their shoes. They are out their trying. In the least just be pleasent. They may well understand you are not that far away from standing on a street corner trying to survive. Share what you can because you can, if you can.

Answer 9

Well jeez, you're already yelling and I haven't even answered the question yet!

j/k, yeah I would give them money, and do. Used to work in a homeless shelter for a few years, and I know very well what they do with it - and its not always spent on alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes. Many times it really DOES go for food, sometimes the only meal they get all day. So yeah, I give.

Answer 10

This question brought me back to when I was 11 years old. I had a plactic gumball machine container with all my savings in it for this wonderful trip to Boston, Mass. I had maybe 2-3 dollars in it. I so wanted to give it to a homeless man. My parents said the "He will just use it for booze" line. But my dad said if you really want to help him, get him food. There happened to be a hotdog stand just in sight. So, thats what I did. I felt better & he was grateful to see a small child standing above him with food in hand. I remember I called him mister. (Maybe he felt some respect hearing that also, who knows.) Well, by the time we were going back to our car, I remember he was staggering around offering to wash windshields. He was drunk, by the kindness of someone elses money. I was crushed. (My parents were right!)
As a grown up, I would offer them food again. And if it was somewhere I knew I would offer them the # to a local shelter. But I would not give them my money. I refuse to enable someone elses habits. Thats my take on this. Its not mean, its just me.