Homeless people question

We have a lot of homeless standing outside in 110° temps. Do you help them?
We are a fixed income...so I tend not to. A gal was out today. Not near a grocery store.

Thoughts?

I do not    There is help out there for them IF they could follow the "rules".    For quite a few of them it is a chose to stand on the corner instead of getting a real job. In fact they can make more standing than they could working a real job.

Of course there are some that it is not a chose but how do I know which is which?  

I have carried bottles of water and PBJ sandwiches to give them if they want it. Most will not take it. They almost always ask for money instead.

I have offered for them to come do some yard work for money. NONE have taken me up on the offer.

It does make  me sad.........

Kim

Fortunately we live in an area where there aren't a lot of homeless, but when I venture downtown with friends, there are quite a few -- the other day, one man was sitting out with his orange tabby with harness and collar giving him kisses with a sign that said "behind on rent". Cat had food and water. I have to admit, when they have pets, my heart goes out to them even more because if that were me, I'd be working so hard to try to ensure the pet had everything first.

I usually don't have any change or food/water on me (other than in my personal refillable water bottle) to give, but I recall a few years back homeless people were being poisoned. If you want to be a good samaritan and get someone a cold drink on a hot day (or hot drink on a cold day), actually take them into a store or shop and buy a new beverage or food with them present so they can know it's safe to accept. If you have stuff like water bottles, make sure they're still sealed and such. It helps to be affiliated with a shelter or program to build their trust because just like we don't know their story, they don't know ours. We could be sickos trying to kill them off. They can't trust anyone.

For people who have never had to struggle and worry about every single dollar at the risk of losing their home or the clothes on their back, we really can't understand. Government housing fills quickly, and resources to the homeless are pretty stretched. Some people fall extra hard on hard times, and if you're just walking by people during your day, you don't really take the time to get to know them, their motives, or their story. I walked by a couple sitting near a large attraction downtown in pretty nice clothes, looking pretty cleaned up, holding some props with a sign that said something about alien abduction. A man had stopped and was not impressed - he thought the last thing you should be doing in such a humble situation is laughing. People who are pushy tend to seem desperate or insincere, whereas the more passive ones are more.. resigned? They can't expect to hassle money out of anyone, and they know that, but they're genuinely so grateful when someone does make a kind gesture towards them.

No as we are really not that well off as is to be able to help.  

The main ones you see near me are at the liquir store.  As much as I enjoy my beer I can not give money to be spent on beer by a homeless person. I understand you may not have much else to do but if someone gives you money here and there all day you end up with enough and do not need to think of trying anything else work wise. If someone asked for water I would get them a gallon.

I do understand some issues they will have in regards to trying to get off streets but seems some truly are not that wanting to get off while others do.  Housing is filling up faster then ever, leaving your stuff to go to appointments risks losing what little you had in the world for very little help.  If your older really you know your shot of many jobs is over so your limited and once you start working that brings in needs like fresh clothing and motel costs short term and then renting so you can keep your job, heating costs,electric and food you must buy vs knowing who dumps things when and who gives handouts.    

catsallaround said:

 
The main ones you see near me are at the liquir store.  As much as I enjoy my beer I can not give money to be spent on beer by a homeless person. I understand you may not have much else to do but if someone gives you money here and there all day you end up with enough and do not need to think of trying anything else work wise. If someone asked for water I would get them a gallon.

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My boyfriend once saw a man in our old hometown, which is much smaller and even downtown, I didn't see homeless people around. The guy was in the Beer Store begging the staff to exchange one single bottle he had for a refill of even a few ounces. He was desperate. It's sad, and it's not uncommon to end up on the streets due to addiction. In that mindset, all they care about is getting their next fix and they don't have wherewithal to get it or seek treatment.

If I have money on me I will give them a few dollars if I can. Honestly when I was in my teens I was super hardcore against giving them anything but I guess I figure you can't always tell what's "wrong" with people so I usually hand over a few dollars. I've been super duper broke and struggling and I have also been extremely lucky too so I i do what I can tho I admit most of my extra funds go towards strays and feral cats and animal charities first.

I have a friend I always get into squabbles with about the homeless topic. One day we walked by a homeless man and I gave him some money and my friend damned me for it, we were both wear very pricey jeans at the time( I can no longer afford them now lol ) and I told my friend that I just COULD NOT walk by the homeless man and not give him money.

No.  Here it is a common scam. 

I'm not as proactive as a friend of mine.  She carries bottled water and packaged snack bars.  Since it gets very hot here in the summer, with 100+ temps in the shade, I don't begrudge that much.

I guess I have odd criteria on whether I'll help...

For instance, there was a young man, about 19-21, roaming a parking lot near a bus stop asking people to help with his fare.  He said he was trying to get back into town to the shelter before it closed.  My friend felt bad for him, but I was not convinced.  There were too many questions in my mind.  How did he get to our end of town in the first place?  What brought him here?  Why did he wait so long to try and get back?  He looked young and healthy, why not walk?  My friend's answer was "If it were my kid, I'd hope someone would help him."  My thought was, if it were my kid, I'd hope I'd taught him better!

On the other hand, there have been a couple times when I was approached in the grocery parking lot..

One was an older man, did not smell drunk, but was obviously "on the road", if you will.  I offered him some snack bars which he declined, saying he was diabetic.  hmmmm.  okay.

The other was an older woman in the parking lot of the asian market.  I offered her some of the fruits I had purchased, which she accepted gladly.

Money, no.

Food/water, sure. 

l don't see any either unless l go to known areas downtown. lf l saw someone with a pet l'd probably offer to buy it food, but l don't offer money to anyone who asks for it.

My van said 110° today. She was out by herself. I so wanted to her her a meal.

I know anyone can fall on hard times but I hope he (my 23 year old son) would come to me and his dad or other relatives.
Luckily no kids yet for him, even though he could afford to go that route. He just isn't ready himself (yes blessings/accidents can happen).

On the other hand, he is smart enough not to beg unless he had exhausted every other resource. I don't see him or my other kids going that route.

Furmonster Mom said:

I'm not as proactive as a friend of mine.  She carries bottled water and packaged snack bars.  Since it gets very hot here in the summer, with 100+ temps in the shade, I don't begrudge that much.

I guess I have odd criteria on whether I'll help...
For instance, there was a young man, about 19-21, roaming a parking lot near a bus stop asking people to help with his fare.  He said he was trying to get back into town to the shelter before it closed.  My friend felt bad for him, but I was not convinced.  There were too many questions in my mind.  How did he get to our end of town in the first place?  What brought him here?  Why did he wait so long to try and get back?  He looked young and healthy, why not walk?  My friend's answer was "If it were my kid, I'd hope someone would help him."  My thought was, if it were my kid, I'd hope I'd taught him better!

On the other hand, there have been a couple times when I was approached in the grocery parking lot..
One was an older man, did not smell drunk, but was obviously "on the road", if you will.  I offered him some snack bars which he declined, saying he was diabetic.  hmmmm.  okay.
The other was an older woman in the parking lot of the asian market.  I offered her some of the fruits I had purchased, which she accepted gladly.

Money, no.
Food/water, sure. 

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peaches08 said:

 
No.  Here it is a common scam. 

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Same thing in most large cities. When I was stationed at Pearl, I met a young lady in Honolulu that was making $50 a day. This was in 1972, when a room at the Sheraton was $25.

However, having been homeless and on the street, I can sympathize with people who truly are in that condition.

Most of the ones here where I live are using any money they get to buy meth. I had to call the police on one female that tried to get her boyfriend to beat me up when I wouldn't even listen to her. It was the second time that day she had done that.

I don't give money to panhandlers.  I sometimes feel guilty about it but I know many of them are alcoholics or drug addicts and that's where the money would go.  I do give money to local charities that do use the vast majority of what they collect for the work they do for the less fortunate.  I know the good charities don't ever give people cash money but give them what they need whether it be food, shelter, or rehab.

There aren't many homeless people (on the streets anyway; there are plenty who are crashing on a friend's couch or whatever) around here; the weather isn't agreeable . I do occasionally see guys hitchhiking on the highway but they mostly want a ride, not food (and, well, sorry, I'm not going to pick up a stranger). If there were more panhandlers around, I would not give cash. I would probably stock up on $5 fast food/Walmart gift cards and hand those out.

I have been thinking of my own question tonight. I have adopted 4 kittens. I know they are not humans, but I would rather know exactly how my money is being spent, where it is going. I feel snooty, but it bothers me not knowing. At least with my cats, I know where it is going. They don't complain. 
We see so many panhandlers here in AZ. I do know every business is to give a cold water if someone asks. I found out it is a tiny, tiny cup. If I am overheating, it wouldn't help. I just honestly get confused, do I? don't I?. Again, so far we've not given in.

*I think my night meds are kicking in. LOL Good night everyone.
 

I will offer them a sandwich or something from McD's, something like that. Never money. One of my son's ex-GFs lived in Manhattan. Her father would always steer somebody into a small restaurant and buy them lunch, but he would never give them money; he knew what the money would be used for. 

We don't have a lot of homeless around here, although I think we have more than what most people here would think. A while back there was a article in our local newspaper about a young man who lived under an underpass in the area. Once the word got out, people looked for him to offer him jobs, food, etc. He disappeared, so either he didn't want the publicity or he didn't want the job offers. Every once in a while, we'll see men at intersections to malls and such, holdings signs "Will work for food" or something similar. But not often. Sometimes I'll get a sandwich and take it back to the guy. They always take the food (I don't know, do they throw it out or do they eat it?) and nobody has ever yelled at me because I gave them food instead of money.

I have read about people who are scamming the public in store parking lots, particularly around the holidays. They will beg for money to get their wife to a hospital or for bus fare or they ran out of gas and need to get home. I've not seen much of it around here. Yet.

Its very common where I am from. We are on a very limited income (my son is disabled ad has several hundred dollars of medical expenses not covered by insurance each month) but I do still try to help.  Even $10 at the dollar store will buy some meal replacement bars and some bottles of clean water. 

Lately I have seen a woman standing near "the tunnels" in pittsburgh.  Shes very sunburnt ad obviously homeless.  Shes getting very skinny, and everytime we are down that way I go through the arbys drivethrough on the way to get her a lunch.

It is NOT easy to get set back up once you are in that situation.  Get a job?  With what transportation?  What job will let you come to work filthy and stinky?  What phone number do you give to contact you?  What address do you put on applications?  Yes, there are homeless shelters, but the ones in my area are only open overnight for a place to sleep.  They dont provide food or clothing, or even showers.  That said, they also only accept so many per night, and turn everyone else away.  Thats considering you can even get to one, because they are few and far between, and realistically no one is going to be able to walk 20 miles or more to the next shelter. 

Its pretty easy to see who is really down on their luck, and who isnt.  If your hair is colored, your clothes are nicer than mine, your nails manicured, you probably dont need my help.  If your 30lbs underweight with blistered sun burn sleeping under the tunnels in 90 degree weather, you could probably use a hand.  I wouldnt give someone money, but I would give them food, OTC medication if needed etc

peaches08 said:

 
No.  Here it is a common scam. 

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Yup it sure is. I always see people on corners or at Wal-Mart with signs... this was very rare back in my hometown. The only time I help the homeless is through a Soup Kitchen, donations to the Salvation Army or what have you. On the rare occasion I will give a sign-holder food, NEVER money.

Call me scrooge, but I won't help the homeless.

I believe people made these decisions themselves. They can do something with their lives and no longer be homeless. They can find work, but they choose not to and live off our taxes and free cell phones and free meals and free health coverage.

If people can't afford to take care of themselves, then they should not be having children and expect us to help feed and clothe their kids.

Same goes for the unemployed who's living off the unemployment check each month, and keep extending it back while they're sitting on their lazy rear at home, not bothering looking for jobs. I know this does not apply for everyone, but I know people who's done this and asked me to help them. No. just.. no.

I work 2 jobs, I do dog sitting/walking on the side as a 3rd job and a freelance here and there. I am still struggling, barely getting by each month. I do not expect handouts or do I beg. I work for what I have, and they can to.

I don't even donate to police or fireman charities. Sorry, I don't have the extra cash to shell out, do not come to my door asking for money. Animals are a different story- they can't take care of themselves and cannot help the situation they're in most of the time.

I have scene to many people do all the right things and still have issues so I disagree.  I have also known people that did ALL the wrong things and somehow got further and further ahead.

We are poor and qualify for programs.  My baby due in few months may cure a disease you or a  family member has.  Main thing is children be brought up with love.  Money is nice but love is NUMBER ONE!  And situations change-we may move up the ladder and you may move further down then you thought be it due to complete lack of jobs or injury. 

I'm sorry if I offended anyone with my above post. from what I've seen personally , it's why I stand by my beliefs. I am sure there are people who became troubled along the way and fell- but I am also sure these people worked hard to try to get back up.

I am speaking of people who just don't try and take money to support their addiction. These are the people I see here in NY. Those why try to get back up know how and where to get the help they deserved