Do panhandlers / hobos make you nervous?

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I live in NYC, where I'll see at least 20 or so homeless people every day. It's a really sad situation now in NYC. There's much more homeless now than there was about 10 years ago.

I wish I could talk to some of them---but they do make me nervous because, like some posters have said, many of them have some sort of mental illness. Some of them happen to have lots of good stuff in their head---but they have difficulty organizing this "stuff" to the point to where whatever they say makes some sort of sense.

Some of them are so arrogant that they think their seat on the subway is THEIR seat, and two or three sets to the right and left of "their" seat. If you "interrupt" them, they might go off on you, try to start a fight with you. One time, I wanted to use a public phone--but the homeless guy thought he had "dibs" on it (even though he wasn't making any calls!), so he started to yell like a banshee when I picked up the phone receiver to call somebody.

I rarely give to homeless people because at least some of them are scamming, or use the money to buy drugs/alcohol. If somebody has body sores, or has half a foot or something, while either walking with crutches or in a wheelchair, I am more likely to give money.

Some of them have really interesting stories to sell, even if many of the stories are really, really sad.

For the most part no they do not bother me. However I do sometimes get nervous when it's 2 Am and I am walking alone back to my car after going out for the evening. Some of them get pretty aggressive asking for change. I could be robbed. They could be unstable. But I also give them change if they don't seem rude. Some of them get very used to a lifestyle and get mad when you don't fund it. Sort of like "How dare you don't have cash" vibe but some really need it.

...I think you greatly , greatly , overestimate how much money beggars can make in general , just as someone see here followed the common error of greatly , greatly , overestimating what can be gotten from homeless services !





spie1"]

Simple math shows that it's not that hard to earn a lot of money while begging. Let's consider the following, using typical statistics for a downtown area (where most homeless hang out):
-> A beggar sees 10,000 people each day.
-> 1 in 20 people walking by him will give him money.
-> The money amount given by each passerby averages to $0.25.

So, 10000 * (1/20) = 500.
-> This means that 500 people will give a beggar money.

Then, 500 * $0.25 = $125.50.
-> This means that the beggar makes $125.00 a day.

Now, with that amount, they can afford at least a studio apartment, along with healthy food that people should be eating. Instead, they spend it all on drugs and alcohol. Shame![/quote]

Why do so many people respond as if the person is on drugs/alcohol, then it's ok to dismiss them? "Oh just forget about that person, it's obvious they're on drugs, or they'll just spend it on drugs."
If someone is homeless and has a drug or alcohol problem, then they are even worse off, and in need of even more help. For some, addiction is no longer voluntary, it's not something they want to do - they can't stop.
Though I understand the reasoning behind not wanting to give an addict money to buy drugs with, people seem all too ready to write someone off who is an alcoholic/addict, as if it's all their fault and they are thus not worthy of compassion.

i'd give a piece if one at hand, it won't help much,
in big cities there's also a problem accessing clean water for free, and eventually washing facilities, you could try working (on your local gov) on that if you want to do something, i do not know how that situation is in the US

even in this small town, the socialist/progressif counsel has closed down the last free public tap, under the guise of bettering it

I used to get hassled by panhandlers a lot, while going out on my own when I was younger. I don't blame them. I used to have a very "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed" look, combined with a youthful innocence and aspie naiveness. Which made me an easy target. Most simply directed their statements at me specifically, and took "no" for an answer pretty well. But the rest were quite aggressive, to the point of yelling at me.

I think I started losing my aspie traits in 2010. That's when people---with a few isolated exceptions---started treating me better. Men viewed me as an equal, and women flirted with me more. Today, panhandlers mostly ignore me. They do say "please help!" or an equivalent, but it's clearly token effort on their part, rather than trying to get something out of me. And they don't get angry anymore when I say "no, sorry".

having been homeless before, I always give when I am in a position to give. surely, some of them have an air of danger about them but that is prolly in large part a psychic self-defense thing on their part, as the homeless tend to be victims of bullies more than average.

When I lived in downtown Montreal, the more popular streets were lined with beggars, and I used to give each a quarter. They were all identifiable, it was the same people all the time.

One was a woman on Welfare who took to the streets after they deducted the price of catfood from her money. But she had to pretend no income from the street or they'd do it again and again. It made the papers. She weighed about 300 lbs and had massive gorgeous long red hair.

Another was a woman who was crazy as a loon unless her brother found her and made her take her pills; then she was 'normal.' We used to look at each other if we were both in the same universe, but had nothing to say.

There was a man seated on a folded box, holding his hand out, saying nothing. I finally picked him, ignored all the others. Sheer selfishness - too much fussing for quarters. I gave him $2 (a toonie) every time I saw him. He said, "Thank you, I will pray for you." I did a real big double-take! Horrible to admit, but I was thinking, "Look where your prayers got you!"

None of our beggars were violent, except one woman, who eventually od'd. That made the newspapers because we all knew them.

Here's a puzzle. There was one guy on the other side of the street, alone for blocks beside, with a sign that said "Cdn Viet Nam Vet" - I would definitely have flung large bills his way but every time I approached him, all my insides sent huge messages to my mind: "DON'T!" So I didn't. Anybody have any ideas on that?

I have to add - I hate taking empty bottles back to the store but if I bag them all, the guys on the street want them.

Bus tickets would be useful, especially in the cold.

They don't really bother me unless their pesty & then I get alittle annoyed but they bother my girlfriend abit. She has social anxiety & Avoidant Personality Disorder. Some of them can be pretty pesty & keep asking after you given them some money or tell them No. It kind of freaks her out especially after her dad told her a story about how he got mugged by one. Asking for money was a rouse for the guy to see how much money he had in his wallet.

...Possibly thinking (or suppressing) the thought " there but for the grace of God/for fortune go I " ? Hmmmm ?

One of my good friends was homeless....he's dead now.

But yeah they are just people....I myself don't trust all the panhandlers, I know some are con artists just pretending to be homeless but I have certainly seen some convincing enough I am sure they really do need the help so if I do have change or something I give it to them. But yeah its not like anytime a homeless person approaches or opens their mouth they want a handout, they like to have conversations and social interactions just like non-homeless people.

I certainly have ran into some rude homeless people, but for the most part I don't have any trouble.

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numerous times someone mistook me for homeless.

someone gave me 50 bucks once. a couple of them gave me a couple dollars too.

yeah i do not look like i earn a lot of $$ or that i got a lot of $$. (fine).

I've never been confused for a middle-class person, also.

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someone confused me for a community college weight training instructor. (masters degree). when i was 15.

someone confused me for a "scientific engineer".

you must have a look of intelligence. more often than not people tend to think i'm stupid even when I keep my mouth closed. I've been told I "look stupid."