Well, we don’t have such facilities at this time for the most part, and I doubt that the funds necessary to run such centers are coming any time soon, so how do you handle it today?
I was once sitting at an ice cream stand on the beach, eating (surprise) ice cream… A woman in her 30’s approached everybody sitting on the benches, asking for change. She was dressed normally, looked clean, and acted politely, said “thank you” to somebody who gave to her.
When she got to me, I said, “why ask for just change?–How about some real money–maybe about $50 today?” She looked at me,wondering what I meant----and I pointed to the sign on the ice cream counter: “HELP WANTED”
“F-ck you, you m*******er. you sonuvabitch, what do you think I am?” etc, etc, etc.
No, I don’ t give to beggars.
If they can write a sign on cardboard, they can write their names on the forms at the social work agencies .
There’s a guy in downtown Little Rock who sits on the corner South Louisiana Street and Center Street offering to squeegee windows some mornings. He’s honestly the first and only person I’ve ever seen in real life offer such a service though I’ve heard about such things.
I don’t give to panhandlers because I don’t want to. Most of my encounters with them have been rather innocuous but a few stand out. There was one guy who I think was trying to intimidate me by telling me he just got out of jail and needed a few bucks. When I told him I didn’t have any cash he helpfully informed me that there was an ATM in the gas station.
My favorite was a guy in front of my in the drive thru at McDonald’s who got out of his car, walked up to my window, and asked for a few bucks. I declined. Two weeks later that same guy shows up where I work asking for a few bucks because his car had broken down. I’m usually not good with faces but I recognized him because of his oddly shaped head.
Here’s a happy one. There was a dude in downtown Little Rock who I would frequently see if I left my building for lunch. He hit me up for money more time than I can count. I always thought he’d get the hint but he probably asked so many people for cash every day he might not have remembered me specifically. A few weeks had passed and I realized I hadn’t seen him. Then many months after that I read an article about a homeless guy being reunited with his brother up north and going to live with him and lo and behold there’s a photo of him.
The last time I gave a panhandler money was when a dude said, “I’m not going to lie to you. I just want to buy a beer.” I had four quarters on me at the time and I gave them to him.
Courts have ruled time-and-time again that it’s legal to panhandle and laws against it are unconstitutional. Arkansas had one such law which was struck down and since then we’ve seen an increase in panhandlers on street corners and intersections. Personally I think that presents a traffic hazard and should be stopped but then you’d have to stop those people collecting money for sports teams or firefighters.
What is the dilemma here? I have given cash to beggars, but I never felt obligated to give any drug money to obvious junkies.
I agree with the Rabbi, and Jesus, but not that you are categorically obliged to give large amounts of money to every single person you encounter.
There’s no “dilemma”. Just the fact that if you want to get the best value for money in charitable giving, it’s worth researching where that money can do most good. Many charities are very poorly run, some spend most of their budgets on marketing in a circular process. And giving to panhandlers is certainly not the answer.
Central Arizona here. Its hot. Street corners are even hotter with no shade and the engine heat pouring off cars. Anyone out there begging for money has a problem and I assume its mental illness and/or addiction because nobody else would be that desperate.
I used to give if I had cash. Now I always keep a couple of fives on me so I can give.
Charities are effective if they are efficiently run by motivated activists, etc., not to mention your donations should not evaporate. I have given to certain such organizations, but do your homework first.
NB the unfortunate truth is that people need a lot of money every month.
Well, yes. That was my entire point, and that’s the raison d’etre of the organization I linked to.
The point is that you helped someone who truly needed help.
If one had enough money to save 100 lives, the amount given to ten beggars is trifling. You are moving the straw man or something with that argument. 
Well, if it’s a traffic hazard, they should all be banned. The courts have ruled that you can’t outlaw panhandling, but you can restrict the places where it takes place. I’m certain that pedestrians could be restricted from stopping cars at busy intersections.
Personally, i resent the firefighters more than the beggars. If the firefighters need more funds, they should make their case to the town, either for more money from taxes, or some voluntary thing locals can contribute to. Stopping every tourist driving through the town on a holiday weekend is not, IMHO, an appropriate way to fund your essential services.
The squeegee men in NYC arose under mayor Dinkins, and were removed by the next mayor. They would apply their filthy squeegee to your windshield when your stopped at a light, and not wipe away the grime unless you paid them. There don’t seems to have been constitutional problems outlawing that practice. That was a long time ago, but happened to coincide with when i lived there.
I haven’t handled cash in a long time, certainly close to two years so even if I wanted to it’s not possible for me to give to the beggers. That being said I don’t have any urge to give to them either particularly right now where I’m not even sure you need a pulse to get a job. I do try to make eye contact and let them know I see them since becoming a ghost to society is one of the worst fates of people who are homeless.
Talking of the squeegee guys reminds me of an incident from many years ago when London suffered an infestation of them.
I was driving a truck on a very busy dual carriageway on a hot, sunny day and running parallel was a convertible Merc with a sharp-looking young man at the wheel, with his arm draped around a very attractive young woman who was (incidentally) wearing a mini-skirt and a low-cut top.
We all came to a stop at some lights and I was admiring the view when along comes squeegee-man. The car driver does not want his screen “cleaned” and says so. The guy holds out his hand in a clear attempt at blackmail and gets a mouthful of abuse.
We all move forward a couple of lengths and squeegee guy returns on the passenger side of the Merc and empties his bucket of dirty water all over the girl, before running off.
I know it’s bad, but I couldn’t help but think that this guy had, for the want of handing over a small donation, lost any chance he had of getting closer to his bedraggled companion, who was now screaming abuse at him.
I believe they are usually collecting for a children’s charity, like the Marines with Toys for Tots.
My town has something resembling a parking meter in our central plaza that asks that you deposit your charitable spare change in it instead of giving it directly to panhandles. You won’t see a panhandler within a block of the thing. I suspect there will be a lot more of these meters popping up around town. I have no idea how the change collected is distributed.
There’s a woman who occasionally shows up at the exit from our local Target, matching the OP’s description. Dressed in Indian garb, kid on a chair. It must be some kind of group that does this.
I don’t come across panhandlers much except when I’m in a city. I’ve taken to giving them cigarettes. They usually accept one and leave me be.
I don’t give a shit. They impede holiday traffic. It wastes an awful lot of time for an awful lot of people, and also wastes fuel. There’s got to be a less destructive way to raise money for charity.
I’ve seen posts on our local NextDoor that allege the women & kids are dropped off in the a.m. by males driving fancy cars (Escalades, BMWs) and picked up at the end of their “shift” in the afternoon. The kids are props used to generate sympathy. Here’s a piece from a Seattle news station on the practice:
I don’t give money to panhandlers as a rule – donate regularly to the local food bank instead. I did give some cash to an obviously homeless person who I saw in the local Safeway, but he wasn’t panhandling. I hoped he would spend it on food, but he probably just bought alcohol and/or cigarettes.
Disclaimer: didn’t read the whole thread, just the OP.
Yes, I give. To individuals. Most of the time, not all. I don’t care if they’re legit. I use my intuition. It’s not my place to judge them or to vet them. I have no more control over what they do with the money than I have over the money I give to my stepgrandchildren on their birthdays. A gift means “no strings.”
I’ve been really broke in my life (though not reduced to soliciting funds in the street from strangers), and now I’m not. I have plenty. I share. I also give to lots of charities. My career was in non-profit fundraising and grant writing, so I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.
“Obviously homeless people” deserve their alcohol and cigarettes just like everybody else. But, nobody is forcing you to give them money for that purpose.
ETA but I agree with @ThelmaLou that it is none of your business what anybody spends money on. (I didn’t help out the guy who just wanted a fix, though, I just did not feel like it. I was prepared to take him to the hospital, though, until the neighbors told me not to worry, he regularly passes out on the bench there, nothing to see here…)