# In a normal day, how often do you encounter homeless people? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 21, 2017, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-normal-day-how-often-do-you-encounter-homeless-people/799429 "2017-10-21T12:47:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-normal-day-how-often-do-you-encounter-homeless-people/799429/101 "2017-10-23T07:06:11Z")
I voted “almost daily” because there wasn’t a “several times a day, every day, including weekends” option. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-normal-day-how-often-do-you-encounter-homeless-people/799429/102 "2017-10-23T13:19:18Z")
I live in New York City. It is not an overstatement to say that they are in my neighborhood in Astoria, Queens as well as in Manhattan. On the streets, in the doorways, in the subway stations. Asleep and awake, panhandling or just sitting there. The homeless situation is absolutely frightening. My heart breaks for the sheer numbers of families and single people who have no place to sleep or roof to put over their head. While I almost never interact with them, I am sometimes moved to act in the spur of the moment. A few years ago I was walking through Central Park early in the morning when it was dark. It was the dead of winter and bitter cold. There was a man sitting there, under-dressed as he was and with no gloves on. I pulled off my gloves and handed them to him and spoke to him for a few minutes and went on my way. I know better than to give money to someone panhandling on the street. There are times when I will buy a large hot sandwich and a drink for someone who is asking specifically for food and not for money. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-normal-day-how-often-do-you-encounter-homeless-people/799429/103 "2017-10-23T13:53:46Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Most people probably DO interact with the homeless frequently, they just don’t know those people are homeless because they’re together enough to practice decent personal hygiene and wear clothes better than rags. I doubt this, but it probably can be neither verified nor falsified. Why would I think someone is homeless because they are clean and decently dressed? Most people are, and aren’t homeless. I picked “Almost Never”, because I live in a fairly affluent suburb where [list=a][li]Most people aren’t homeless, and [\*]panhandlers get moved along pretty quick by the local police.[/list]And most of my driving is on the freeway, so I don’t pass a lot of street corners, and where I work doesn’t have a lot of foot traffic. [/li] When I walk Leet the Wonder Dog[sup]TM[/sup], he is kind of large and loud, so I am not likely to be approached even if someone was living in the parks thru which we walk. Maybe if I went into downtown, I would see more of it. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-normal-day-how-often-do-you-encounter-homeless-people/799429/104 "2017-10-23T15:42:06Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I doubt this, but it probably can be neither verified nor falsified. Why would I think someone is homeless because they are clean and decently dressed? Most people are, and aren’t homeless. I can’t speak for **Broomstick** , but I’m pretty sure that was her point. Just because they are clean and well dressed doesn’t mean they are not homeless. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-normal-day-how-often-do-you-encounter-homeless-people/799429/105 "2017-10-23T15:53:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Having said that, you cannot assume they are all actually homeless. > [@](#): > > The same for the cardboard sign holders looking all pitiful, only I don’t believe most of those are really homeless. > [@](#): > > I see a sign-holding panhandler - literally “a”, it’s always the same guy - a few times a month, but I doubt he’s actually homeless. I only see people who are definitely homeless a couple of times a year when I go to Boston/NJ/NY. …and many more. What definition for “Homelessness” are you people using? 😕😕 No really, it would help if we are talking about the same thing or version. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-normal-day-how-often-do-you-encounter-homeless-people/799429/106 "2017-10-23T15:58:45Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Dude I have a fucking dent in my car! Thats going to cost me over $500 to get fixed. Thats from getting it kicked by a panhandler. I have to drive 5 blocks out of my way, every single day, to avoid an intersection where he hangs out. I already filed a police report. Getting hollered at isn’t fun. > > All thanks to the ACLU > [https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/arkansas/articles/2017-08-07/federal-lawsuit-seeks-to-overturn-arkansas-panhandling-law](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/arkansas/articles/2017-08-07/federal-lawsuit-seeks-to-overturn-arkansas-panhandling-law) Dude, the ACLU did not dent your car, some asshat did! Who would you blame if a well dress person kicked you car? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-normal-day-how-often-do-you-encounter-homeless-people/799429/107 "2017-10-23T16:29:59Z")
I’m in the wilds west of Seattle, and there are plenty. One guy walks his dog to Walmart every morning, so every time I go there I either see him walking to/from or see him in the store. There is a prime street corner by the highway that usually has someone sitting out with a sign. My daughter has at least one homeless girl in her class (the girl and her mother live in an RV, which they park somewhere different every night–this is particularly common in this area). ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-normal-day-how-often-do-you-encounter-homeless-people/799429/108 "2017-10-23T16:38:25Z")
> [@Grumbacher\_Red](#): > > What it means is I see them every so often and I think the majority of the cardboard sign holders are scammers. Based on what? > [@](#): > > Look, I been through my Polly-Anna years with these folks and that is over. You give them food, they don’t want it. They want cash. You try to reason with them and tell them, “Hey, you know you don’t have to be out here like this, there are places that will help you” and they don’t want to hear it, they want cash. I want cash too! It makes it easier to get what I need. (No I don’t panhandle.) People need things like new & clean underwear & socks. Women will need tampons & pads. It many (most?) places, available services are insufficient to match the needs of the homeless. > [@Foggy](#): > > There are about 7500\* homeless in SF. [Cite](http://sfist.com/2017/06/26/2017_san_francisco_homeless_census.php) > The City only has about 1300 shelter beds. What are the remaining 6200 suppose to do? I’m not stupid (OK, that’s debatable), homeless people can be hard to deal with\*, some (most?) will use any money they get for booze and/or drugs, so what? Don’t give them cash, give it to the groups that are trying to help the homeless. Or just let them decide whats best for themselves. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-normal-day-how-often-do-you-encounter-homeless-people/799429/109 "2017-10-23T16:54:09Z")
Never. My house is in a large suburban neighborhood where, presumably, everyone I see has a home. I drive to my office, also in a suburban neighborhood, and it’s a military base so, obviously, access is extremely restricted. Honestly, the closest thing to a homeless person around here is me 😃 (I have a long, relatively unkempt beard). ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-normal-day-how-often-do-you-encounter-homeless-people/799429/110 "2017-10-23T18:20:43Z")
I live in the sprawling suburbia that is known as Cental Jersey, unless I ride in The City (NYC), Philly or Newark I never see the homeless. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-normal-day-how-often-do-you-encounter-homeless-people/799429/111 "2017-10-23T18:55:06Z")
Because I can’t seem to leave well enough alone. [Judge blocks Arkansas law targeting panhandling.](http://katv.com/news/local/judge-blocks-arkansas-law-targeting-panhandling) > [@](#): > > Judge Billy Roy Wilson granted a preliminary injunction for the ACLU, calling the law “plainly unconstitutional.” > > The ACLU’s position is that the law violates the first and fourteenth amendment. You’re link is about the filing of the lawsuit, my link is what the Judge decided. So are you OK with unconstitutional laws, as long as it benefits you in someway? > [@aceplace57](#): > > Dude I have a fucking dent in my car! Thats going to cost me over $500 to get fixed. Thats from getting it kicked by a panhandler. I have to drive 5 blocks out of my way, every single day, to avoid an intersection where he hangs out. I already filed a police report. Getting hollered at isn’t fun. > > All thanks to the ACLU > [https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/arkansas/articles/2017-08-07/federal-lawsuit-seeks-to-overturn-arkansas-panhandling-law](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/arkansas/articles/2017-08-07/federal-lawsuit-seeks-to-overturn-arkansas-panhandling-law) ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-normal-day-how-often-do-you-encounter-homeless-people/799429/112 "2017-10-25T14:52:00Z")
Transients looking for work are known to come through this town. I have no idea why - there’s no work here. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2017, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-normal-day-how-often-do-you-encounter-homeless-people/799429/113 "2017-10-25T15:54:33Z")
Dude, I’m in L.A. I’ve never lived in an area where there _aren’t_ homeless folks. Even in the mostly-surburban town I’m currently in, there’s a few folks who are clearly living rough who we see from time to time. My personal policy is to always give money to gutter punks. When I was a teen, I knew a lot of kids who were turned out of the house by their folks, who went the gutter punk route. Yeah, some of 'em for good reason, but some of 'em just for minor stuff. Some were runaways, too. Still mostly good people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-normal-day-how-often-do-you-encounter-homeless-people/799429.md?page=5)