Should you give money to homeless people, if they beg?

[ams]

This probably depends a lot on where you live, because I know safety is an issue in some places. Downtown in my city there are literally tents made of garbage with 5-10 homeless people living in them in the middle of Canadian winter. People freeze to death every year. They often make the tents outside of fast food places where they get their meals. I have no problem giving my spare change to those people. And if they spend it on booze? To be honest if I had to live like that I'd probably drink too. Who am I to judge?

 

[Nezzy]

Ive met quite some homeless people on the street and when I have coins I would give them some. The thing is, some people have to pay entrance to shelter homes in my country, so often they just want to spend the night with a bed and some food. But you never know, i also heard people here can get money from the municipality to spend the night at a shelter. Some people are illegal or unregistered though and for them this opportunity doesnt exist. I think its important to share, I dont think these people are out on the streets for fun. They must have a lot of underlying problems which caused it, so i think a little kindness sometimes goes a long way.

 

[-Lumi-]

Like others have said, this is a really complicated topic full of a lot of grey areas.

Would I love to be able to give every homeless person I see money? Yeah. I'd also love to be able to give them a place to live and food to eat, but unfortunately I can't. I've been homeless before - thankfully I was fortunate enough to be in a homeless shelter vs out on the streets, so my heart really goes out to homeless people because it's terrible. It sucked when I was homeless and I can't even imagine what it would be like to be out in the cold or the boiling heat without your belongings or food or anything.

That all being said, I rarely give money to homeless people on the streets. The reason being that as a smallish female I don't feel safe doing so. If I see homeless people on the street I'll cross the road, keep my head down, just ignore them. Because they can be unsettling, especially if they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The people who were with me in the homeless shelter were unsettling already - people on the streets are typically worse off and their emotions reflect that. When going through withdrawals of any kind or just being starving people can get irritable and irrational and I'd hate to be on the receiving end of them lashing out because I haven't given them enough money, etc.

Out of the options I prefer to just give them money vs food, or clothing, or whatever else. I know the rationale behind giving them food but like others have said - if they are addicts not having access to whatever they're addicted to can kill them and not being given what they want can also make them upset which could put myself in a dangerous situation.

It's terrible that people panhandle when they don't truly need money and that can also complicate things. I wish I was rich enough to just be able to hand out money to everybody because it's hard to tell the difference between people genuinely in need vs those who are scamming and it sucks that because liars are out their the genuinely hurting people don't get as much help.

I feel like this is one of those situations where there isn't really a wrong answer. If you have the means and are able to donate money (or food or clothes if that's what they'd prefer) to homeless people than that's wonderful! But I don't think choosing not to or being unable to makes you a bad person, either. I'll donate money, food, and clothes to charities when I can but I also know that those organizations aren't available to all homeless people so it's really complicated. I really wish the government would do more to help with the increasing homeless population. :/

 

[ting1984]

Like others have said, this is a really complicated topic full of a lot of grey areas.

Would I love to be able to give every homeless person I see money? Yeah. I'd also love to be able to give them a place to live and food to eat, but unfortunately I can't. I've been homeless before - thankfully I was fortunate enough to be in a homeless shelter vs out on the streets, so my heart really goes out to homeless people because it's terrible. It sucked when I was homeless and I can't even imagine what it would be like to be out in the cold or the boiling heat without your belongings or food or anything.

That all being said, I rarely give money to homeless people on the streets. The reason being that as a smallish female I don't feel safe doing so. If I see homeless people on the street I'll cross the road, keep my head down, just ignore them. Because they can be unsettling, especially if they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The people who were with me in the homeless shelter were unsettling already - people on the streets are typically worse off and their emotions reflect that. When going through withdrawals of any kind or just being starving people can get irritable and irrational and I'd hate to be on the receiving end of them lashing out because I haven't given them enough money, etc.

Out of the options I prefer to just give them money vs food, or clothing, or whatever else. I know the rationale behind giving them food but like others have said - if they are addicts not having access to whatever they're addicted to can kill them and not being given what they want can also make them upset which could put myself in a dangerous situation.

It's terrible that people panhandle when they don't truly need money and that can also complicate things. I wish I was rich enough to just be able to hand out money to everybody because it's hard to tell the difference between people genuinely in need vs those who are scamming and it sucks that because liars are out their the genuinely hurting people don't get as much help.

I feel like this is one of those situations where there isn't really a wrong answer. If you have the means and are able to donate money (or food or clothes if that's what they'd prefer) to homeless people than that's wonderful! But I don't think choosing not to or being unable to makes you a bad person, either. I'll donate money, food, and clothes to charities when I can but I also know that those organizations aren't available to all homeless people so it's really complicated. I really wish the government would do more to help with the increasing homeless population. :/

A very good, nuanced answer on a complex topic. Well-done.

 

[princess.looking.for.frog]

I try help out by giving a packed lunch or gift cards that cant be redeemed with alcohol. Though in Australia there are ALOT of homeless shelters and places they can go and get a home, so I feel like some of them just dont want it.

But my fear is if I go out of my way to pack lunch but they just dont care or do it to get free money I will feel putdown for trying to help.

 

[mermaidshelf]

I think it depends. I rarely give money to people that ask in person, although I would like to. If I were more stable, financially, I would like to help out more. I donate money to organizations or mutual aid when I can. However, I'm not against giving money to unhoused people. There are things that they need that you would need money for, like a shower or a day in a motel. Some shelters even require payment to get in. Many need feminine products like pads or tampons, things that most people don't think about. Even if they're using their money to buy alcohol or drugs, a lot have addictions because they're self-medicating for undiagnosed illnesses and I want to be understanding and compassionate about that. I think my government should spend less money on defense and more on education, healthcare, aid and other programs, especially when a lot of unhoused people are veterans. There was a time when my family was bankrupt and couldn't afford rent and I think a lot about how we were almost homeless. There was a thin line between having a roof over our heads and being on the streets. Luckily my mom landed another job, one that she had applied for previously but if we weren't so lucky, I wonder what we would have done. When I was in uni, my city had a lot of unhoused people and honestly, I felt very scared and disgusted by them at the time. Some would harass and threaten me daily (my bus stop was a major bus station where they would often sleep). Later, I did more reading and research and I changed my opinion. Housing is a basic necessity yet it's getting harder and harder for us to afford. I have a decent job yet it took me years to save up enough for a down payment.

 

[Manah]

Due to a few too many traumatic one-on-one situations with (semi-)strangers, a MASSIVE aversion to feeling pressured, and barely enough spoons to do the things I need to go outside for, I need to avoid any unstructured interaction for my own safety. Maybe some of them are respectful, but too many haven't been and I can't afford to take chances.

 

[BlueOceana]

I don't really carry cash that often but if I do have some and run into someone asking for money I will at least give a few dollars. It is something that makes me sad to see so hopefully the money is going to something good, but if it is not then it is nothing that can by anything too expensive but its enough to get food and a drink.

 

[-Blue-]

I've only ever had someone ask me for money one time and all I had on me was 3 dollars. Most times I have a credit card so I just gave the cash to him. I don't know if he used it for what he said he was going to do or not. If he was short on cash and needed a bit more for a pack of smokes, whatever, but it wasn't a whole lot of cash to begin with, so I didn't mind.

I am kind of disgusted at the people who go to charities like food bank and try to be picky with what they're giving. Ex, 'I don't like that kind of bread, do you have any other?' If you're hungry and short on cash you'll eat bread that isn't your preference. I've heard stories and seen it firsthand. Not everyone is like that and it's a small handful, but it still bothers me that they're turn their nose towards someone's generosity.

 

[jemarsi]

I live in a city in which there is hardly a day that goes by where you don’t come in contact with someone homeless. When I was younger and had less experience I felt constantly pressured to give money and always did, even if I didn’t have the means really to do so. Nowadays it’s highly situational.

I help out when I can nowadays. Especially if I can see that the person would have difficulty getting a job vs. other people (due to handicap, race, age, etc). Sometimes I’ll actually listen to a homeless persons story because a lot of them are quite lonely. This one guy actually ended up talking to my partner and I for a good 40 minutes. He started the conversation off by saying he “smokes a lot of weed and would probably use the money for entertainment” but I appreciated his honesty. He was a guy that was sleeping outside because he skipped parole and had done prison time for petty theft. At least that’s what he told us. He seemed harmless, just had a lot of issues that he wasn’t dealing with and I did genuinely feel for him. He was quite bright just made wrong choices.

On the other hand, some homeless people get very angry and entitled to your money especially if you say no. I’ve had people curse me out, yell, even spit at me before. Those are the people I never come in contact with if I can help it. Over time you sort of get better at protecting yourself from that behavior because you can see the signs of erratic personalities before they speak to you. Not always, but I’m better at avoiding them now.

So, all in all, a very gray situation. But I don’t think anyone should ever feel ashamed for not giving to them.

 

[Croconaw]

I don’t ever give money to anyone I see on the streets, mostly due to an unfortunate experience I’ve had in the past with someone that was homeless.

 

[SublimeDonut]

of course you should. what kind of a question is that. this shouldn't ever be up to debate. people don't fake being homeless, wtf. if you're concerned about them buying drugs with your money, buy them food.

Post automatically merged: Feb 8, 2021

oh wow. i wasn't aware so many homeless people were raking up thousands of dollars a month. they must be if so many of yall think they might be faking huh? i'd like to see you people in their places. wouldn't take 2 minutes for everyone here to drop these bull**** arguments.

 

[Shellzilla_515]

It's a tough question to answer honestly. The experiences are different for others. We don't know the lives of homeless people so it's important not to jump to conclusions. Perhaps they used to have a home, lost their family, or had to run away. They may also have a mental illness that can't be seen to the naked eye but again, we don't know for sure. If you want to help, feel free to do so while respecting each other's boundaries, staying safe, and expect nothing in return. If they so choose to use the money for something else, leave them be. Your intentions of trying to help them are good enough. I'm gonna put a bible verse on here that relates to this topic.

Deuteronomy 15:10
Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; Then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.

Sometimes, I can't help but want to strike a conversation with them to help get a better understanding of their situation. Of course, with what's going on right now, it's challenging to do so. This doesn't help especially when you live in a city with expensive housing. For crying out loud, just renting an apartment room costs at least $1000 Canadian per month if not more! The solution to helping the homeless is really complex and there really isn't a one size fits all remedy. We got to consider mental health, accessibility to shelter and clothing, housing, and many more to help get them back on their feet.

 

[Croconaw]

of course you should. what kind of a question is that. this shouldn't ever be up to debate. people don't fake being homeless, wtf. if you're concerned about them buying drugs with your money, buy them food.

Post automatically merged: Feb 8, 2021

oh wow. i wasn't aware so many homeless people were raking up thousands of dollars a month. they must be if so many of yall think they might be faking huh? i'd like to see you people in their places. wouldn't take 2 minutes for everyone here to drop these bull**** arguments.

I can’t tell if this is being serious or not. People do fake being homeless. I know one person in particular that takes a bus downtown everyday and pretends to be homeless, then goes back to his house. He lives on my street and people fall for it. He has his foot amputated and he uses that on his sign to encourage people to help him even when he doesn’t need it.

I’ve literally been homeless on two separate occasions and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. There are ways to actually help homeless people. There are ways to find jobs if you know where to look. From your standpoint, it seems you want everyone to give to every person who claims to be homeless. That doesn’t help them in the long term. Your argument is invalid.

If you keep giving money to homeless people, it helps them in the moment but you’re basically rewarding them for not trying. They’ll think if people are giving food and money to them without them having to work, they’re never going to want to work again. You can literally help them find a job. One homeless man had a sign that stated he was looking for work with his name and birthdate on the sign. You can’t imagine how happy that made me to see him take initiative rather than taking people’s money. You have to earn it, and there are way too many people faking it to take chances.

 

[oak]

I can’t tell if this is being serious or not. People do fake being homeless. I know one person in particular that takes a bus downtown everyday and pretends to be homeless, then goes back to his house. He lives on my street and people fall for it. He has his foot amputated and he uses that on his sign to encourage people to help him even when he doesn’t need it.

It doesn't sound like your neighbour is faking anything. It's not really for you to decide how disabled a person is or judge why he decided to start begging for money. You gotta be pretty desperate to get to that point. Maybe you should talk to him and you would see he's probably mentally struggling. Or you could just judge him from a distance lmao.

 

[Lavamaize]

Personally for this thread I'm not a huge fan of the title as it almost phrases the question as should you help homeless people or not. While there may be a few "fake" homeless people, 99.9% of homeless people truly are homeless, and while people may hesitate to give money to them for various reasons (such as uncertainty, not wanting to give them money to feed an addiction, etc.) it really comes down to each persons individual prerogative, and that is their decision to make. I can understand people not wanting to give money directly to the homeless as they don't want the money to be used for drugs and alcohol, but unfortunately the people who are homeless are suffering so much that these things may be the only relief they get, and it is their money to use as they please. On the flip side though, people may say that they should try to get help (I know it is sometimes very difficult to do so though) and use the money to turn their life around instead. All in all though, I think it really comes down to the debate about HOW and in what ways we should help the homeless, not the fact that we should or should not help as all of you probably agree that homelessness is a problem everyone should try to help solve/fix if able.

 

[tiffanistarr]

Personally for this thread I'm not a huge fan of the title as it almost phrases the question as should you help homeless people or not. While there may be a few "fake" homeless people, 99.9% of homeless people truly are homeless, and while people may hesitate to give money to them for various reasons (such as uncertainty, not wanting to give them money to feed an addiction, etc.) it really comes down to each persons individual prerogative, and that is their decision to make. I can understand people not wanting to give money directly to the homeless as they don't want the money to be used for drugs and alcohol, but unfortunately the people who are homeless are suffering so much that these things may be the only relief they get, and it is their money to use as they please. On the flip side though, people may say that they should try to get help (I know it is sometimes very difficult to do so though) and use the money to turn their life around instead. All in all though, I think it really comes down to the debate about HOW and in what ways we should help the homeless, not the fact that we should or should not help as all of you probably agree that homelessness is a problem everyone should try to help solve/fix if able.

Basically this ^

But yeah, I always give if I have cash. Today for you. Tomorrow for me. I've never been homeless, but I've been broke before and I wouldn't have made it without help.

 

[SpaceTokki77]

I always get super sad whenever I see a homeless person. Although where I live, a lot of them are fake. And are really obviously fake too. One time, some guy was holding up a sign asking for money, but he had gucci shoes and a louis vuitton hat. I walked right by and didn’t pay attention. It’s those kind of people that anger me- they take advantage of people’s kindness for their own profit. Although if it’s a real one, I sometimes give things that aren’t cash, because they could spend it on things other than food, water, and other necessities. If i’m not in a hurry, sometimes I give like, a spare granola bar in my bag or something like that.

 

[JessieOfSeacowBay]

I'd sooner give money to a potential homeless person than deal with a person selling magazine subscriptions or candy bars for their "marching band" or whatever. I've been scammed out of money before, I won't give any cent to any of them ever again. I was only like 20, too.