Homeless People

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Should I give homeless people money when they ask for it? How do I know they won't spend it on drugs or alcohol?

I mean, it's their choice what they spend but if you want to help I would suggest donating to charities who know how to educate homeless on their fiscal consumption and offer shelter to them.

When you give someone money, you are taking a risk that they might spend it on something you disapprove of. So you might want to ask yourself whether or not the risk of someone abusing your generosity outweighs the benefit of helping someone who really needs it.

I once gave to middle aged homeless woman and she went and tried to buy malt liquor with it (she didn't have enough and was having a fit about it outside of the liquor store).
I once gave to an elderly man who was recently made homeless and he was so thankful that he started crying and thanking me profusely.

I generally say no more than yes though. This isn't so much because of concerns that they will buy drugs or alcohol with it, but due to the fact that I get asked a lot because panhandlers think women will have more sympathy for them than men. Also, my city is fairly livable for homeless people. A lot of the bus drivers will waive bus fare if the person doesn't have it and really needs a ride, and there are a number of shelters where the person can get a meal, a shower, and clean clothes, so the person isn't usually stranded with no resources if I say no.

No. Buy them food and that's it then be on your way. Most beggars tend to be drug-addicts or scammers who are going to use it to buy drugs or alcohol or cigarettes and has nothing to do with living honestly. The ones who are truly homeless will actually ask for actual food or word it in a way that anything helps and as I have myself once lived in a homeless manner for many years I can tell you for a fact that «social-programs» are the most-useful to homeless-people (you people also need to understand, not until I came into contact with a social-worker, did I even know that such government-programs or otherwise called welfare-systems even EXISTED, thus I scraped on my own for many years in a row, from my early twenties even all the way into my late-twenties, then again in my early to mid-thirties, because gawd knows how insanely expensive the costs-of-living are in this day-and-age in one of the most highly taxed populations in the world contrary to what most Americans might believe...).

Never give any type of begger money, it is a scam more often than not and a lot of these panhandlers aren't even actually homeless at all. Nobody ever needs money for food so that's always a lie. I'd be more willing to give someone money if they were honest and just said they wanted a beer or something.

I use to have a bunch of like free coupons for food at Carl's Jr(thru my dads work) so I'd give those out if they asked, few were thankful but a lot wrinkled their nose at it too.

I don't see many homeless people where I live. But there was this one guy I remember seeing who was like a very stereotypical wino, except that instead of cheap wine he was drinking Listerine, because obviously he didn't care what he drank as long as it had alcohol in it. and I saw paramedics taking him away in an ambulance. It was pretty sad, and I probably watched the scene more than I should than minding my own beeswax.

If someone is drinking Listerine, which I personally cannot stand even rinsing with because it's like battery acid, then if I bought them some food they probably wouldn't be able to digest it.

I understand the concept of not wanting to give a drug addict or alcoholic your hard earned money because that's time out of your life that you don't want going to support someone's maladaptive pleasure, that they didn't work for to earn.

However if you have any notions that you are enabling an addict when you give them money, if the person is a hard core addict, you aren't really, because they will always find a way to get drug or alcohol money, even if they have to resort to criminal means. No hard core addict ever thought "Well, I'm out of money. I guess I'm going to sober up and get a job now." That's now how their mind works. They think "Well, I'm out of money. I guess I'm going to go rob a place now, or someone, or steal something to sell, or prostitute myself, or sell drugs."

Let me also say, that not everyone who's homeless has a drug or alcohol problem. In my area, a lot of homeless individuals are schizophrenic or old and maybe get a pension or social security but don't get enough to pay rent and have not been able to get subsidized housing. They rarely ask for money but once in a while they do.

They are alot of homeless people here in my town, they are taking over One person got attacked by a homeless person.

There is an absolute ton of homeless people here, the panhandlers are different breed than the ones that are mentally ill which there a lot of too but generally those people try stay away from people and are pretty obvious in appearance(and smell). The people asking for money want drugs or alcohol 90% of the time, them saying they need money for food or the bus is just BS.

I usually don't give money because I don't have a lot to spare. 1ce a guy asked for money & i said I use cards for everything & he then asked if I could buy him a beer. I said I didn't have any left on the card. My girlfriend used to give to them but some got pesty & would ask for more 1ce you gave em some & she has anxiety issues dealing with people. My girlfriend's dad got mugged a long time ago giving to a supposed homeless person. Asking for money was ruse for the guy to see how much money he had in his wallet.

I've taken them out for lunch before when they ask for money as I pass them on the streets or take them out to get them some warm clothes in the winter rather than give them money. I also describe steps to get onto ODSP (provincial disability) and provide them an ear to listen to them talk about their problems.

We are also having a homeless problem and ever since rents have skyrocketed, there have been more homeless people. I see homeless camps and our city decided to make these teeny tiny homes and us residents have the option to join the program and we get that house for free in our backyard and we house a homeless family. I am not sure how it works. Do we charge them cheap rent or agree to not charge rent.

To answer you question, just give them food or offer them a job or give them a gift card if you have one or give them something they need like a jacket or new socks or a hat than money.

Maybe they will maybe they won't, not my job to tell them what to do with change I give them. I don't really care either.

If you want to give them something specific like food or a clothing item it is best to just get that and give it to them.

When I lived in the city I always just gave them food. If they don't want food then they are not going to spend the money you give them on food.

I live in a smaller area now, and the ones I see often get money from me. I'll also give them things like jackets and umbrellas. Although once I gave a man food and when I drove back by he had thrown it out. So you can't tell what they'll do.

Sometimes they say they want money for a hotel room like when it's going to be bellow zero at night.

i don't begrudge them their need for various kinds of anesthetic to survive on the streets. i will give them money [if i have any to spare, myself] without condition. i've been there, and a return is always a scary possibility.