do you give homeless people change?

[wop]

Don't, it just encourages them to be lazy.

Get their fat american/british arse off the ground and head to Jobcentre.

If you insist on donating, might as well buy them a hot cuppa coffee instead (I went to starbucks and bought a cuppa for this homeless guy years ago, and he asked for £££ for beer instead)
...

[Not Kuno]

Fuck no. These assholes have been sitting in the same spots with the same signs for years (in NYC). They make more money then I do. Go and fucking do something with yourself I hate bums so much.

[Dooom]

I don't give 'em change. Here in England, there's this magazine called The Big Issue, and it's sold by homeless people. The company that prints it etc. goes around and "hires" homeless people to sell it, making sure they're not on drugs, booze etc. So, I buy that from 'em rather than give them spare change, it's about £1.50 I think but I normally give 'em a bit extra and let them keep the change, 'cos really, asking for change from someone who is homeless? That's fucking cold. At least I can be reasonably confident if they're selling the magazine, with the right ID badge and stuff, then the money isn't going to some drug pusher or whatever.

[Jaybar]

"Get a job, you bum!"

"OHHH THAT'S WHAT I WAS MISSING THIS WHOLE TIME!"

Some people aren't socially adept at holding a job, but not crazy enough to be in a mental home.

[Xno Kappa]

What the fuck is a Jobcentre!?

[kareface]

I don't, we have a god damn asston of them around where I live in Seattle and after being threatened by enough of them I care very little for their plight.

[Jaybar]

@Hiro

Probably Wal-Mart.

And what the fuck with all these generalizations, seriously. "Two guys threatened me, so therefore every other one will." Get off your high horses.

[Olo401]

Some people aren't socially adept at holding a job, but not crazy enough to be in a mental home.

Like my ex-fiancee..

[Thiefami]

Only to the crackheads, and alcoholics, and that's because I know they will spend it worse than I can.

[sephir]

In my area you learn pretty quickly who uses it for food and who uses it for drugs/booze. Theres a group of about 2-3 that live about 2 blocks away right by a bank machine that I occasionally give some money to. If they aren't asking for some money I usually see them just talking between themselves or getting some food from subway or BK about half a block down.

There are others that I would never give any change to, ever. I remember I was downtown once and I was walking behind this couple and there was a guy with a sign begging for money for food. The couple shook their heads at him and the guy went up and grabbed the girls ass and said something to the guy. I was going to give him the 40 or so cents I had in my jacket pocket until I saw that.

[Dooom]

"Get a job, you bum!"

"OHHH THAT'S WHAT I WAS MISSING THIS WHOLE TIME!"

Some people aren't socially adept at holding a job, but not crazy enough to be in a mental home.

Also, I'm fairly sure that Jobcentres, like many other government organisations, are very reluctant to accept shelters etc. as addresses for correspondence. Getting a job without a fixed address is no small order.

[wop]

I don't give 'em change. Here in England, there's this magazine called The Big Issue, and it's sold by homeless people. The company that prints it etc. goes around and "hires" homeless people to sell it, making sure they're not on drugs, booze etc. So, I buy that from 'em rather than give them spare change, it's about £1.50 I think but I normally give 'em a bit extra and let them keep the change, 'cos really, asking for change from someone who is homeless? That's fucking cold. At least I can be reasonably confident if they're selling the magazine, with the right ID badge and stuff, then the money isn't going to some drug pusher or whatever.

I bet you don't see THAT many of them around as you are supposed to be (eg in busy streets like Oxford Circus or major stations like Bank/Liverpool Street)


WHY?

Because rather than get that measly £1.50-£2.00 from you, these 'pros' hang out outside Michelin star restaurants and celeb/socialite haunts. Trust me, I've seen loads being handed £50 for a copy of the Big Issue outside the Ivy or Gordan Ramsay. It's "generally excepted" by celebs/high flyers standards it's £50 a copy.

[Dooom]

I bet you don't see THAT many of them around as you are supposed to be (eg in busy streets like Oxford Circus or major stations like Bank/Liverpool Street)


WHY?

Because rather than get that measly £1.50-£2.00 from you, these 'pros' hang out outside Michelin star restaurants and celeb/socialite haunts. Trust me, I've seen loads being handed £50 for a copy of the Big Issue outside the Ivy or Gordan Ramsay. It's "generally excepted" by celebs/high flyers standards it's £50 a copy.

The only cities I go to are Derby and Nottingham. What's a celebrity gonna be doing there?

[willriker]

I give to charitable organizations because I dont want to be injured by someone desperate enough to demand more.

Many homeless have mental issues, many homeless do not. I cannot tell. I know that everyone here is one long layoff from ending up in the very same position as they are in. One injury. One tragedy. So i give to the organizations designed to help these people. This way, i know that it wont go to drugs/booze.

hmm, perhaps booze is ok, i know if i was resort to sleeping on a sewer grate to stay warm in the winter... id want to be drunk also.

[Mizango]

Some charitable organizations can be a bit shady since you never know if your money is 100% going to where they say it is. I remember a few years ago Dateline did a 'Where does your charity money go' report and most of it went to where the organization said, the other x thousands or millions were unaccounted for.

Its a crap shoot no matter how you slice it.

[Jaybar]

Listen, guys. It's all fucking Darwinism, ok. So what if they give it to booze, Darwin will swoop down and claim them, and that's one less boozer in the world. If the guy is still living 1 month later, then Darwin spared him, obviously.

[GImpers]

Awhile ago the radio station KROQ here did a think on homeless and how much money they make I'm pretty sure the guy whom plays music makes 60k a year

^^ This.

I'm conviced that most of the people I see panhandling aren't homeless at all. These people make enough money to live comfortably. All they have to do is appear homeless and people give them money. Especially if they choose a really busy freeway off-ramp.

[Mizango]

Listen, guys. It's all fucking Darwinism, ok. So what if they give it to booze, Darwin will swoop down and claim them, and that's one less boozer in the world. If the guy is still living 1 month later, then Darwin spared him, obviously.

^

[SephYuyX]

No.
These guys make mass money from suckers thinking theyre down on their luck.

[AoE]

Deja Vu