I was having a lunch with a friend last week and after finishing, he decided to give $10 to a homeless man who was begging. I was surprised by his generosity and he told me that he’d been in a rough spot financially and was willing to help out.
I know many people in life who refuse to give money to homeless people/panhandlers in fear that they may be enabling their drug and alcohol use. I’ve always looked at it from the other side and felt that giving them money may prevent them from engaging in criminal activity to feed their habit and in fact Switzerland gives heroin addicts free heroin which is essentially cutting out the middle man and giving them drugs. It drastically reduced crime but some would argue it’s the ultimate form of enabling.
About the only reason I carry some cash these days is to give it to “panhandlers.” Most seem to appreciate a smile and a few words of conversation as much as the money. I’m aware of all the arguments against this, and am not convinced. I also vote for and support the political parties and social movements that promise to do more to create and support robust social services. It is not nearly enough.
Do people have the same doubts about those they already pay money to? How does your electrician spend her money? Your grocer? Your car dealer? Your babysitter? Your boss?
If you look at Switzerland, it seems that giving heroin addicts heroin has been successful and helped many reintegrate back into society. This seems no different that giving them money. Obviously, their programmes also offer education and assist people getting jobs, but I doubt that they’d be able to function to work a job without first getting their fix.
I had seen info, years ago, that suggested cash will often fund destructive habits, and recommended donating instead to charities for the homeless, which I do.
Im quite open to the idea that this information was misleading or is now out of date.
Frankly, right now, it’s more of a practical thing anyway; that I virtually never have cash with me.
Based on the people in my circle who make such claims (mostly coworkers), it feels like an excuse looking for a reason. The same people often bitch about the fixed tips on large parties and claim that they would have tipped more if they weren’t forced to tip the 18%. Only problem there is that I’ve been with them on smaller group lunches and they still sucked at tipping.
Do or do not give homeless people money, but don’t ascribe motives that aren’t a given.
This is me, too. What they do with the money is none of my business. I’ve been dead broke in my life and while I never had to resort to panhandling, I was, on occasion, the recipient of various strangers’ generosity-- and I still warmly remember the gratitude I felt at the time.
I’m not wealthy, but I would describe myself as financially “okay” at this point in my life. Not through any particular merit, hard work, or prudence on my part. I’ve worked for a homeless assistance organization, and it doesn’t take all that much to push someone out into the street.
It’s my understanding that, here in the U.S., most organizations that provide assistance to the homeless strongly advise to not to give cash to someone who is begging for it.
No, it doesn’t, having been there and done that on the streets of Seattle. It is kind of hard to get a job when
Most applications without a home address and cell phone get round-filed and
It is kind of hard to go out and apply for work when you have to stand in line to possibly get floor space to sleep on for a few hours in a room filled with strangers.
I think there’s a difference between people being paid for something and people just asking for money. Some people are worried about what panhandler will do with the money- but I’ve never heard of people worrying about what the people selling bottles of water or fruit on the street will do with the money , although they could just as easily be using it to fund destructive habits.
Not a fair comparison, because you’re not giving those people money because of what they will do with it.
The only reason to give a homeless person money is because you hope it will help them and make their situation a bit better. If, instead, it will harm them (or enable them to harm themselves), this is an argument against giving them money.
Once in a while, I’ll get asked for money at a time when I actually have some cash and a moment to fumble around for it. I hand it over and then lie awake for a week overthinking the experience. Most recently, a panhandler asked me what year my car was and I said, “I don’t know, it’s kind of old.” Yeah, I’m sure his heart was breaking for me!
I’d definitely be concerned if I thought that my babysitter or electrician was on drugs. But, regardless, I’m not giving those people money, I’m exchanging money for goods and services. So the calculus of “Do I want to give this person my money?” is different; that choice was made when I called or visited them.
Venmo or Paypal.
Don’t think beggars don’t have phones and are able to accept.
I’ve handed a dollar or two. Very rarely. One lady cursed me with a Voo-doo card, cause she wanted a twenty.
Another lady threw the $1 back at me and cursed. (Sheeet, lady)
Nope not engaging. The only beggars I see are outside the Liquor store. Yeah, they gonna buy something in there.
If the store lets them in.
There’s a semi-famous beggar who asks if you’ll pick them up a 1/2 pint, because the store has trespassed him.
He gets hauled in by L.E. about once a month.
