Last year(2008) when in Chicago, a young woman came up and said she was from Indiana, showed an Indiana driver’s license, said her car had been towed. She need money for the train. Gave her the change I had $.75. This past summer, same woman with same story…
Guess she got trapped in the Chicago Loop;)
Maybe, but I think the greater part of it is it that it (theoretically) turns them into someone we can identify with. That is, we’re more apt to be charitable to people if we can relate to their struggles; the severity or urgency of those struggles is often secondary. For example, witness the large number of posters here (myself included) who would be eager to help an honest-to-god stranded motorist, but who are actively trying to avoid giving a few bucks to the destitute street person *pretending *to be a stranded motorist, who (arguably) needs the help a lot more. Or, for another example, compare how easy it is for one smoker to bum a cigarette off of another with how hard it is for a homeless alcoholic to bum 50¢ off of that same smoker.
Hence, “I need a few bucks because of the type of problem you’ve probably faced yourself once or twice,” as opposed to: “I need a few bucks because of some crazy bullshit that’s mostly my fault and you probably wouldn’t understand anyway.”
Here’s the deal: I am willing to give someone the necessities of life. I am NOT willing to give someone a “comfort”, or as I prefer to call it, a luxury. I’ve been flat broke, I’ve had periods when I went without ANY luxuries at all in order to feed my child. I’m fortunate enough now to have enough money to buy just about anything I need, and most of what I want. However, that doesn’t mean that I feel obligated to support someone else’s bad habits, especially if those bad habits mean that this person is going to be worse off in the long run.
It’s my money, and I get to decide how I want it spent. This means that I want to know where it’s going. If I donate to a homeless shelter (and I do), then I know that most of it’s going to actually help a homeless person. If I give the money to someone who claims to want medicine, or food, or gas, then possibly that money will be used for the reason I’ve been given, but it’s far more likely to be used on booze or illicit drugs, and the person might not be homeless. In fact, most of the people who are begging regard it as a job, and they are a hazard to other people, as well as being aggressive about it. As a matter of principle, I don’t reward bad behavior.
I get to choose which causes I will subsidize. So do other people. Those beggars who lie about what they want the money for are nothing more than scammers, and should not be rewarded with money. And they are ruining the chances of someone who actually DOES need money for food or gas, because fewer people will open their wallets after hearing so many scammers plead for five bucks for this or two bucks for that.
Will you put $5 in my paypal account?
I encountered that at an entrance to Metro, Pentagon station. A rather odd man was offering to sell me his farecard so he could get bus money. I declined but started to offer change so he could catch his bus, at which point he decalred he didn’t want change!
This exchange was within one foot of signs warning of people selling fraudulent farecards.
A pair of grifters were pulling this one in our condo complex for a while; these two were after “cab fare” and tended to ring doorbells very early in the morning.
I work in the heart of downtown, and, like most cities I assume, the homeless shelters are further out closer to the edge of downtown (but definitely within walking distance for a homeless person). My wife used to work at one of those shelters (as a cook), so when they come to me, I usually refer them to a shelter (I don’t like carrying cash with me anyways, debit card FTW!) Almost none of them like the idea (imagine that!)
When my wife was working there, I’d often stop by after work and meet up with her. This was shortly before supper time, so I’d stay for dinner as well (I’d always be at the back of the line, of course, making sure the people who the food is actually there for get first dibs), and they actually eat pretty good grub! Better than what I have at home a lot of times! (I know, it was cooked by the same person and all, but they get some pretty good food donated to them.) I really don’t see why any homeless wouldn’t want to eat there …
I once spent seven months in a Salvation Army shelter. Popeye’s always donated a whole mess of chicken once a month. Didn’t care for the bologna sandwich lunches, though, but getting access to the microwave helped.
This is exactly how I feel. Right now money’s tight – reduced hours at my job, and hubby was out of work for a few months, so we’re ‘recovering’ from that.
At this point $5 matters to me. It represents a sizeable chunk of my ‘free’ money for the week. I’d used to buy food for someone who is hungry, but for booze or drugs? Hell no. Call me selfish, but I want to use it towards that book I’ve been wanting, or maybe I’ll splurge on some treat from the bakery for us.
Basically, if that money is going to be spent on some non-necessity/luxury, it’ll damn well be a luxury for me and my family. Okay, that’s selfish. I admit it. But that’s how I feel.
OTOH – I do know that what looks like a luxury to one person, can be a necessity to the other person.
I have an older brother who spent some years on the street. Panhandling, mostly, but he also commited burglaries when he spotted something he could grab and cash in on. Yes, he was an addict. Heroin.
He’d had problems all his life, discipline type stuff at first. He drank, smoked pot, cut school, got in fights, did stupid things for the hell of it. He spent stretches in ‘special schools’, both voluntary (as in, my parents volunteered him) and court ordered. Nothing really helped him, and the worry/stress/expenses were harming everyone else. When he was in his 20s my parents finally showed him the door.
Then came the street stretch. Then came the arrest and his first experience of ‘real’ jail time.
Which, just as the cliche has it, honestly turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him. He got straight, of course, but they also had a counseling program. And one of the psychiatrist who volunteered there spotted that my brother had bipolar disorder. Somehow all the previous counselors that dealt with him had missed it.
Once he was getting the kind of drugs he really needed, he stopped needing the other stuff. He even stopped drinking. That was nearly 30 years ago.
It’s not like my brother turned into some super wonderful amazing person. He didn’t go back to school and become a rocket scientist or cure cancer or even become capable of running a franchise. But he’s worked almost continuously since then, mainly as a truck driver and custodian. He bought a home, got married, turned into a devoted gardener. Basically, he’s an ordinarily productive member of society.
So – when my brother was begging for drug money, were the people who gave it to him really helping? I don’t think it’s clear cut.
You are NOT obligated to give. We know that. Everyone knows that. It’s been said several times in this thread, and it is common sense, so yeah. We get that. You don’t have to give. Got ya.
Anyone that thinks that a person that is messed up enough to be reduced to begging in the streets, hopelessly addicted, being a dreg…anyone that thinks that a bottle of wine for them is a luxury is just too far on the other side of this argument for me to even try to go any further with.
I will tell you this, though. You don’t need to interview them to determine if they really need gas or food. There is no shortage of programs out there that will give food and bus tokens and every other kind of neccessity (thanks in small part to your kind donations) At the place I used to volunteer we routinely fed tons of poor people, and still had to throw out tons of food.
Mine too - I promise you I’ll use it to buy booze.
My worst panhandler story was probably when my wife and I were visiting New York. We were outside the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and this guy comes up asking me for a dollar. But I had used up all my singles tipping the waitress at breakfast, and the smallest I had on me was a 20. So I explained to him that I didn’t have any Ones. He then said, “Well, then give me a Five.”
I didn’t want to get into explaining what bills I had, because I knew he probably wouldn’t hestitate to ask for the 20, so I just reached into my pocked pulled out what spare change I had on me (probably about 23 cents) and handed it to him.
He looked down it, looked back up at me with that universally recognized WTF look, then tilted his hand, dropped the change on the ground and walked away without saying a word.
When I was in New Orleans once, I was hanging out in front of the B&B. A guy was walking along the sidewalk. His suit was cheap, but generally presented well. He told me about finding Jesus or some such and asked for some money for something or other. I was in a good mood, and even though I ‘knew’ he was panhandling, I gave him a fin. He thanked me and asked for more. I told him, ‘Don’t get greedy.’
My office in Seattle is near a shelter. I was going to the bus after work, and I was listening to my iPod. A homeless woman blocked my way and insisted that I take out my ear buds so she could ask me for money. I told her I didn’t have time. If it happens again I won’t be so nice and say loudly, ‘Piss off!’ Shades and headphones mean ‘I am shutting out interaction and I don’t want to be disturbed.’
Any of you get Katrina “victims”? I live in a small town in West Michigan and had at least a ten different refugees from the storm at my yard sales.They never flat out begged, but the approach they took was silly. Something like “How much for that TV?..I’m from New Orleans.”
I guess the idea was I would lower my price or give them stuff. Never gave any of them a break on price and only one of them actually bought something.
Hmm? That’s what social services are for, to help people with basic necessities. Plenty of people opt for giving out a card with resources on it rather than giving money.
Huh. Where did you go for breakfast, Hooters?
Did you stuff the ones into the waistband of her apron? 
I’m almost completly sure this is a whoosch/joke, but in case you’re serious: the same place where almost every other newspaper and magazine keep theirs, at the printer.
The street newspaper is produced by an organisation, which has an office with a regular staff somewhere in the city. There are a couple of journalists who research and write the articles to the topic of the month - and because they write articles about topics everybody is interested in, people keep buying the paper. Sympathy is good for a couple of issues, but good quality ensures that people will keep buying it. Plus a fotografer, a layouter and of course the counseling/ help staff for the homeless themselves.
The homeless contribute their voice in a writing workshop held for them, where they learn to write articles about their own life and experiences, how they got there, what happened to them, or just what they like and found interesting/ nice today.
But typing 20 $ instead of double sawbuck is understable to everybody, even the few non-USians on this (international) board, while “sawbuck” first begets head-scratching and misunderstanding, only for you to come into and fight ignorance afterwards. :dubious:
I guess I’m too “soulless”, but I don’t understand what’s so wonderful about giving somebody money directly that will destroy him just because he’s so desperate/ clever to try the honest approach, instead of giving the money to a charity that helps him get away from the alcohol?
nevermind