Please tell me you don't give money to homeless people holding a sign?

Question

I'm sorry but i cant STAND people who give to homeless people holding a sign money. Its America for gods sake you can always get food and shelter!

I tested my theory by keeping canned goods with me so when I see a "Hungry God Bless" sign I go to hand them a can and they say "Oh no money is better" which lets me know they want money for drugs and alcohol!!!!!!!

It pisses me off when I see people hand them money especially with the holiday season comming up. Do you hand them your money and why?

Even if I gave them a can opener I know my results would be the same. I know because out of all the ones I have given a can to none of them have mentioned this legitimate problem.

Oh my god! Can someone go read what Spanish Sweetheart wrote?? I am laughing to hard. First of all not giving to the bum on the side of the road doesnt mean I dont give back to society but more importantly how in the world can you say that not only do i have NO heart but no one in my FAMILY does? Oh my god im lauging so hard....

Answer 1

Sure I do, but only when everything on the sign is spelled correctly , the grammar is flawless, and the penmanship is to my liking. I also give a little more if the sign has something unique on it like, "I am in need of copious amounts of cash because it is necessary that I keep my ho's happy",

Answer 2

What I have done (any time of year) is go to the first fastfood place and buy a couple dollar burgers and take them to them.
Never have I seen a negative reply...only thanks.
I won't give cash...but I also remember my hungry times.
No one should go hungry.
And it's easy for someone whose life is stable to say let them get a job...but you don't always know the circumstance. And even if they got a job...paycheck is still 2 weeks away. That's a long time to go without food.
I try not to judge (lest I be judged)

ADDENDUM: Why is everyone thinking food means CANS? A few oranges, a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter is food too. And the burger I spoke of. Cold beans or creamed corn is NOT what you hand to a homeless person.
Also, a few years ago everyone where I worked lost our jobs without warning due to a takeover and a week later I lost my home because my landlord had his 14 houses seized because he was dealing drugs. If it hadn't been for friends letting me move in til I could get on my feet, it would have been me and my two shih tzus on that corner. Just because someone is down on their luck doesn't mean that they are automatically a druggie or alcoholic.

ADDENDUM 2: Just so everyone knows, I live in Nashville and even in the winter the shelters kick everyone and their belongings out at 5 am and if they're not in by 8pm they are locked out. Yes, even in the winter! And jobs aren't easy to get when your hair needs washing, your only clothes are smelly and you need a shower. Try it sometime. When I was out of work I dressed appropriately, had my hair tidy, etc...and it still took FIVE WEEKS to get a job. At Publix. As a cashier. For $8/hr...and I didn't get my first check for 2 weeks. It's a vicious circle. No job/no money/no home/no food. AND HERE IN THE STATES...NO MEDICAL CARE.
Dear God...you're griping about a dollar??
Count your blessings or walk a mile in their shoes.

Answer 3

no I actually do what you do give them food. We were in Key west, and there was a really old man, and he had a blanket wrapped around him, an old stragely yellow beard, and my mom and I were walking in the morning and we passed him, and he asked us if we could donate some money, so my mom said good morning and asked if he wanted some food because we were headed to the grocery store anyway. He wanted bread n buttered pickles so we went up to the store, and got him some. My dad was so mad, and said never do that, but I think it's ok with food. It's great for what you are doing, it show's how kind you are. You are right about how some of them just want drugs, alchol and smokes. But sometimes you can tell, like this poor old soul. I don' t know if he died or something because we came back like 7 months later and he was not in key west at all, some people who live down there just said that one day he just wasn't there.

Answer 4

After our local news ran a story about how some people who stand on corners and beg for money are actually scammers, I don't give them cash. Some of these people made more than you and I per year and they do not pay taxes on their collections! The local news followed this one family that actually set up in different cities that had an elaborate sob story about being homeless and broke (they had kids and were supposedly living in their car). They were offered help at a local shelter and refused (cause they wanted the cash). When they were confronted, they finally confessed to what they were doing and that this was a common practice for some people who beg on the street.

There may be people out there who need legitimate help, but unfortunately, people like those mentioned above ruin it for those that really need the help. There are many options for those that really need help.

Answer 5

I do ..not all the time I usually drive right past them...however sometimes while you are out there shopping it just kinda makes you think hey look at me and where I am at..and look at this person...having to beg...as for shelters and all NOT ALL homeless get into them..they may be too far away from location and/or there is no more room for them to come into...Just count your blessings you are not one of them...what is a couple of dollars, so it goes to drugs or alcohol...maybe, maybe not...and if you give them canned food how do they heat it up..sometimes they want a hot meal as well..not something that taste like a tin can...Count you blessing and be thankful for what you have, and don't judge a book by it's cover...

Answer 6

I don't open my window for anybody homeless sign or not.
( Well, I do make an exception for hunky firefighter collecting donations in a big rubber boot.)
Another thing, that I suppose isn't "PC" but, I always wonder where they got the "sign" and the marker.

To the person below me: I too have had people turn down food and want money SO I stick to donating to the Salvation Army, Goodwill and others that collect money for the less fortunate. And I am pretty certain they are going to buy something unsavory when they reek of liquor yet don't want food or don't want to hear of a place that will help them.

Answer 7

Did it ever dawn on you that a homeless person doesn't have a stove to heat that can, or even a good can opener to open it? Yes, money is 'better' because they can buy things they can't get at 'shelters' or feeding programs ... and you can LEARN how to tell if a person is just going to buy drugs or alcohol, or if they are truly just wanting to have a 'slightly better meal' ... and yes, I do give MONEY to the homeless, year around, but MORE at Christmas time ...
WHY do I do this. Because both my husband and I have been HOMELESS, twice ... once before we met and married, and for six months afterwards. We now live on an income of 'only' $60,000 a year ... and I tell the homeless our 'story' and our income, to give them HOPE that they can be 'normal' again if they can get the RIGHT HELP.
I do 'agree' with you that it can be very 'wrong' just to hand money to a homeless person many times ... you must 'learn to see them' and learn to RECOGNIZE the ones who are 'faking' their homelessness or carrying a 'sign' that says they have children (unless the kids are there, they probably don't have kids) and who are doing this 'begging' as their 'jobs' (we have one man who begs in Seattle who actually lives in a large three bedroom house on Mercer Island (worth well over 1.5 MILLION DOLLARS ... he does this because his 'weekly income' from 'begging' is well OVER $1,000 a week! This man is a 'bad beggar' because he is STEALING from those who are TRULY HOMELESS ... but frankly, I don't CARE if you get 'pissed off' when you see me 'handing money to a homeless person' ... because I may KNOW THAT PERSON and CARE ABOUT THAT PERSON and you 'don't care' ...
If you don't want to 'hand money out' then you should give to a 'good charity' that does something you DO care about. My husband and I give well over $2000 a year to the 'charities that help the homeless' as well as to other types of charity, and if I want to 'give them what I have in my pocket, that is UP TO ME. It's CHRISTMAS and even the 'homeless' like to get a 'visit from Santa' ... and I may be Mrs. Santa to them!

Answer 8

No, it really pisses me off as well. And some are not even homeless. I was working at a grocery store and this well dress man (who got out of a new Honda) entered the store at the same time I did. I was in the Bakery unloading the truck, and the man and a manager asked me for some cardboard. So, I handed them a box,but the man only wanted the insert. Fifteen minutes later, my manager called me to the front of the store-There he was all bummed-out looking on the corner (the grocery store is in a nice area). We called the police and he was ticketed and left. Makes you wonder how much people actually give!

Answer 9

If people wish to hand them money, what concern is it of yours? It is their money they are handing out and not yours.

Edit:By the way, I live in a very small town and we have a homeless guy that roams around the area.
Every time I leave my house and I know I am going threw my town, I always bring a sandwich,chips and a snack of some kind and a drink.
If I see him, I pull over/pull in and hand it to him. Not once has he ever turned down the food and not once has he ever asked for money.

Answer 10

Absolutely not that jerk that stands on the corner across the street from me when people give him money he never gives me any even though Im holding up a cardboard sign too so if I ever get any Im not going to give him any.