[Closed] Would you give money (cash) to homeless folk?

I'm more inclined to buy them a burger or something but I do give the odd quid here & there

about 20 mins ago i was walking down oxford street. passed a guy who was getting "empty" drinks cups out of the bin, decanting them into a cup and the drinking the lot. i figured i'd get him a bottle of water, so went and did so. caught him up, handed it to him and said, "here you go mate, i got you this." he replied, "no thanks, i don't like water," and walked off... 😕

i now have the bottle of water sat on my desk and don't know whether to feel patronising or just confused 😆

NO! If you have to 'give it to the homeless' then give it to a charity that will assist them off the street.

On street cash donations = funds for whatever keeps them there in the first place.

tankslapper - Member
NO! If you have to 'give it to the homeless' then give it to a charity that will assist them off the street.

On street cash donations = funds for whatever keeps them there in the first place.

+1

No harm in buying a cuppa on a cold day, or a bottle of water as mentioned above, but cash on the street ain't going to help the situation.

I give them food soetimes. There is often someone ( different folk) outside a shop I use that has prepack sandwhiches. I ask are you hungry? and if so give them a sandwich.

you have to give to an organised charity sadly street begging funds the lifestyle (drugs,alcohol,cigarettes) and is unliley to move the person forwards to something positive unless you think they are saving for a deposit.

I offered to go and buy a homeless bloke some food, he said he needed to ask his missus what she wanted could he just have the money....I waved a tenner at him and told him he's not in the position to be so choosey, therefore he'll not be having this note, so i went and got myself a big pizza and scoffed it in front of him.

He wasn't too grateful, but it made my evening more enjoyable.

I never give them anything, more out of the fact that I rarely have more than a few pence change in my wallet and its zipped in my wallet and not easy to get to. If they ask for it they wont get it as I dont like being pestered while doing things (I rarely venture into town without a mission). My other half is more pleasant, she used to buy a homeless chap a cup of coffee each morning at work, he was apparently very grateful.

Theres a blind chap who whistles tunes in Stafford Town Centre ... I usually give to him cos he is genuine...
But, and I could be wrong, some types dress for it and appear rehearsed kinda thing..

How much cash are we talking about?

As far as I'm concerned, while saying "good evening sir" and giving someone a tenner isn't going to solve their problems it isn't necessarily going to ruin them either.

I understand the point of giving someone food rather than money, but it does rather say "I don't trust you not to spend any money you get on smack", which is not a nice thing to tell someone.

In any case, I spend a large amount of my disposable income on whoring and boozing. I would be extremely annoyed if my employer started paying me in nutritious food and cheques made payable to my mortgage company, although it would clearly be good for me.

Not trying to be flippant, but self respect must be difficult to come by for those guys, and that may not be helped by everyone not giving them money "for their own good".

You are raising interesting point BD.
I never gave the money, the odd baguette or water bottle from time to time but no money.

Give money to charities as they'll hopefully use your money more effectively - some are obviously more efficient than others though.

Giving them food instead of money would be perfectly well received by the sensible and thoughtful ones, those who find it offensive to their sensibilities are likely the ones who can't see why people would not trust them in the first place. I'm not giving my hard-earned readies to someone to blow on booze, thats for me to do. If I give MY money away, I want it to help them stay warm/fed, not boozed up.

Giving to charities seems like a good way of wasting 50% of what you give away.

I usually give the big issue guy a quid more than the cost when I buy it.

As a police officer in a large urban area I've spoken to numerous homeless people and professional beggars. Most people who beg use the money they earn to fund either drink or drug habits. However there are also quite a few professional beggars who earn quite staggering amounts by pretending to be poor.

One lad I used to speak to on an almost daily basis would beg for a few hours each morning until he earnt enough to fund his heroin habit. He said he could easily clear £80 in a morning. That is until his girlfriend died of an overdose and I helped put him in touch with St Mungos and he cleaned himself up.

That's obviously in between tazering random innocent members of the public, bullying ethnic minorities and doing everything in my power to avoid doing something important like catching paedophiles.

I would suggest giving any money to Shelter or St Mungos.

Giving to the charities is all well & good but most people aren't that organised to do that - it tends to be a reaction to a request

if there was a guy sat there with his cup & a charity worker next to him shaking a tin, I may may the decision in the tins favours but I think the odd quid or bit of food helps them to get though the day

I flip from rabid Tory to yoghurt knitting liberal and back again on this one.

As above, giving beggars cash is a bad idea, they spend it on booze and smack. Loads of people do give them cash and it drives me up the wall.

....but where's your empathy McBoo????? Scarily about 1/3 of homeless in London are ex-servicemen (like me) and I can see exactly how they've ended up there.

There are professional beggers around liverpool, pretending to have lost their wallet or pretending to be homeless. If you sit in the coffee shop you can see them walking around all morning, then going and changing the cash for notes in the shops. Trust no-one.

[i]That's obviously in between tazering random innocent members of the public, [/i]

Well, there has to be some perks to the job.... 😉

I totally understand the 'don't give money, just food' argument and it's probably very noble in intention but I must admit I do give money to homeless people (I give to charities too) on the street. I suppose I have the notion of 'whatever gets you through the night'. I suppose a committed alchoholic/ drug user, living a pretty dire life on the streets has to find some comfort somewhere and I may be perpetuating their lifestyle (as if it's chosen!) but hopefully am funding an escape route as well via charitable giving etc.

I don't feel right giving money, but also can't really see a viable alternative.

Work or starve....

I don't feel right giving money, but also can't really see a viable alternative.

Walk away? You dont have to give money, if you dont feel right doing it it probably isnt right.

Coffeeking

Giving to charities seems like a good way of wasting 50% of what you give away.

I'm interested coffeeking, what are you basing this assertion on?

I gave all my remaining euro-smash to a beggar in Venice last week. Then found my bus ticket was only one way so had to buy one back to the airport. If I'd still had one euro I needn't have broke the E50 note which was waiting to be exchanged back to sterling. Bummed.

Should I have given him the 50 note maybe?

Not anymore. A few years ago I got to know a bloke who lived on the streets. He seemed a decent fella and didn't look like he was on the gear. There came a time where he got a job (temporary) and said that it was his chance to get off the streets. A couple of weeks later, he looked a lot cleaner and I genuinely believe that he was actually working and he's got himself a bedsit.

Maybe I'm a sucker for a sob story, but one evening whilst chatting, he told me that he didn't get paid for a few days and was already behind with his rent. Long story short, I lent him some money - and he was very aware that it was a loan - to help tide him through a few days and keep his bedsit and therefore, job. We agreed that he would pay me back at £5 per week for a good few weeks. Did he ever pay me a penny - did he ****!

I know that you should never generalise, but because of him, I will never give money to anyone like that again. What made me particularly mad about it was that I could have spent that money on my kids!

crisped- the fact taht to run a charity you need admin costs, building costs etc etc covered. These things cost. There have been NUMEROUS cases in the past few years where as little as 10% of donated cash went to the cause.

coffeking you are a grumpy old bugger.

I give cash; if i was on the street i'd want some money and if i wanted to fritter it away on booze/ skag/ a cup of tea/ jelly babies that's what i'd do with it.

Just cos they've got no money - doesn't mean they can spend it on crap like the rest of us

I give cash; if i was on the street i'd want some money and if i wanted to fritter it away on booze/ skag/ a cup of tea/ jelly babies that's what i'd do with it.

that goes against what Shelter recommend, and I assume they know more about what's helpful than we do.

I do not want to insinuate that anyone at Shelter has any vested interest whatsoever in me giving my money to them, but I will not be nagged by the gigantic morass of the Professional Helpful. 🙂

that goes against what Shelter recommend

Do they recommend giving your cash to them?!

As for the efficiency of Charities - if you give them money with gift aid that will cover the admin loss of the better ones. Though that means less tax for the government and they need every penny these days!

Whatever, the big Charities, and may small ones as well, are better placed to spend your money sensibly if you want to donate some than anyone else. Indeed for most good causes that's the only way to do it.

yeah i realised after i wrote that that it obviously suggests that shelter would have a vested interest in you giving your money to them instead. i'm sure it's the general advice from all such organisations but i can't be bothered to look it up.

I used to work near Waterloo Station and there was a regular crowd of homeless in a little open area just across from the Old Vic theatre. Usually pissed off their heads at all hours of the day and night. Anyway, I was in the local corner shop one day and one of these beggars walked in, picked up 4 6-packs of Special Brew, then pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket to pay for it. Loads of £20's all neatly wrapped up. He had more money in his pocket than I had in my bank account (I was a poor student at the time...)

Result: no I would never give them any money.

Big Dummy - Many companies used to pay their workforces in vouchers only redeemable against adulterated and overpriced food in the company shops.

The practice was rightfully stamped out, but we're talking about handouts here not wages.

I'll give money to a homeless person if I like the cut of their jib, but most often I walk past tbh.

But when I do put my hand in my pocket, if somebody's spending the night on the street and wants to put my quid or two towards a nice bit of smack to keep them warm then I don't really begrudge them that.

Maybe give them a can of food for their dog. Been brutally honest, I wont give anything to anyone on the street. I work hard enough for every penny I have, charity starts at home.

Coffeking - some charities are very innefficient but most are not.

I sometimes give money to someone who has a good story - not because I believe the story but because it entertains me. Mind you the chap who approched me with the - "I have just run out of petrol and I need to get back to stirling to look after my kids as they get out of school but have no cash" didn't get anything the second or third time he approached me.

My fave was the chap who showed me a quid or so in change and told me he just needed 50p so he could get a can of crucial brew 🙂

I gave someone £15 for a taxi to the airport once as he was stranded at my local tube station. A while later he approached me at Waterloo but seemed to recognize me and turned away.

Not sure what to say about Gingerbloke though others think the same way. Can't slag off the likes of Thatcher and be like that IMO - either we care about society or we don't.

Coffeking - I suppose I see giving cash as the lesser of two evils, just walking away being the more evil option. I suppose it all depends on your view of "the homeless" - either as sponging, work shy lay abouts or as fellow human beings with circumstances less benevolent than my own. I am quite sure there are thieves and liars out there but tarring all vulnerable people with the same brush can't be the way forward.

I think I may be a hand wringing liberal, feeling a little impotent in the face of gross social inequality and making token gestures but I'd rather that than ignore a fellow human in need - plus I guess I don't want to be a miserable s0d devoid of emotion a la scrooge 😀

So you won't give money to beggars on the street, but when fake ones pop up on the internet its fine!

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/help-anyone

I don't give any beggars money, I figure most just need the will to help themselves

I give money to people on the street all the time,only a quid or two or whatever change I have.Some might be profesional beggars,but most will be homeless with a drink or drug problem. Why because I have something and they have nothing.Its not for me to moralise over how they spend it.

spoken to him on a couple of occasions, out on the streets, stop pass the time of day, that sort of thing, he's not asked me for cash

I was stopped in the street by some scruffy geezer recently. He told me that apparently he had 'lost his home' and could I help him. I think he must have been well pissed because he kept blaming 'Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling' for his predicament !

I tried to be sympathetic and said, "look here my man, try very hard to remember where you live. Which direction did you go after stepping through your front door - left or right ?"

He got the right hump, and stormed off effing and blinding........ungrateful ****er.

I do. There's a regular couple of semi-homeless junkies/ alkies who beg locally, sometimes selling the Big Issue. There's no point in giving them food since they beg outside shops that feed them (eg the Bread Store on Glos Rd, Bristol), but I'll give whatever I have spare. Yes, I know it's spent on oblivion - but who am I to judge.

For you youngsters, may I also say that until 1980 I never saw a beggar on the streets of Britain. I went to Miami in 1977 and was really shocked to see them on the streets; I thought it was like the 3rd world. Then in the late 70's, our society changed.....

until 1980 I never saw a beggar on the streets of Britain.

God, that woman has a lot to answer for.

Exactly as Nonsense says. I work in a large city which supposedly has one of THE best facilities for homeless people in the country, people flock to the city to gain access to the homeless facilities, as such deal with this massively in my job. There used to be a big issuer seller who sat with his dog, looked skanky and begged in between, he would catch a black cab to his plot every day!!!

Someone suggested that not giving them money but food instead is saying you don't trust them and may offend. At the end of the day if someone is genuinely homeless and struggling they will NOT turn down the offer of food and they will be ever so grateful. The majority of homeless people are homeless because they are raging alchoholics and drug addicts and unfortunately they will save your money for drink/drugs.

PS Nonsense what force are you in?

he would catch a black cab to his plot every day

You know it's heart-warming stuff like that, which reminds people that despite all the negative press they often get, many black cab drivers are really kind-hearted and do a great deal in the way of charitable work. Nice one.

I think he must have been well pissed because he kept blaming 'Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling' for his predicament !

For you youngsters, may I also say that until 1980 I never saw a beggar on the streets of Britain. I went to Miami in 1977 and was really shocked to see them on the streets; I thought it was like the 3rd world. Then in the late 70's, our society changed.....

you're obviously not old enough to remember victorian times when there were loads of them - obviously there was a heady period in the early-mid 20th century where our streets were temporarily cleansed.

in fact, one of the things that sprang to mind when thinking about moses' ridiculous comment was the fitting sherlock holmes short story, [i]the man with the twisted lip[/i]. relevant to many of the comments on this thread.

relevant to many of the comments on this thread.

in more ways than one - i've just been reading it having mentioned it on here, and noticed that it's set on friday, june 19th!

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theflatboy - Member

you're obviously not old enough to remember victorian times when there were loads of them.............

in fact, one of the things that sprang to mind when thinking about moses' ridiculous comment was the fitting sherlock holmes short story, the man with the twisted lip.

A 'ridiculous comment' eh ? ......... and yet, factually correct.

Obviously I'm also 'not old enough to remember Victorian times'.

I am however, old enough however to remember Thatcher saying that she wanted to return to 'Victorian times'. Or Victorian values as she called it.

Now we all know of course that the Victorian era was characterised by the fact that on the one hand, Britain was a fabulously wealthy and powerful country, whilst on the other, the ordinary British working-classes were completely powerless and lived in staggering levels of grinding poverty and destitution. Which as you quite rightly point out, was often highlighted in the Sherlock Holmes novels. As indeed it was in the novels by Charles Dickens.

So hardly surprising then, that Thatcher should be inspired by 'Victorian values'. After all, she had a damn good go at making the rich more powerful and wealthy at the expense of the working-classes, which she made more powerless and economically weaker.

I'm talking bullshit, I hear you say. OK, take it from the Margaret Thatcher Foundation then. This is from the interview which Thatcher gave to Brian Walden, live on London Weekend Television.

Brian Walden :

[i]"All right, now you know, when you say you agree with those values, those values don't so much have a future resonance, there's nothing terribly new about them. They have a resonance of our past. Now obviously Britain is a very different country from the one it was in Victorian times when [u]there was great poverty, great wealth[/u], etc., but you've really outlined an approval of what I would call Victorian values. The sort of values, if you like, that helped to build the country throughout the 19th Century. Now is that right?"[/i]

Margaret Thatcher :

[i]"[u]Oh exactly. Very much so[/u]. Those were the values when our country became great, but not only did our country become great internationally, also so much advance was made in this country. Colossal advance, as people prospered themselves so they gave great voluntary things to the State. So many of the schools we replace now were voluntary schools, so many of the hospitals we replace were hospitals given by this great benefaction feeling that we have in Britain, even some of the prisons, the Town Halls.[/i]"

[url= http://www.margaretthatcher.org/speeches/displaydocument.asp?docid=105087 ]1983 Jan 16 Margaret Thatcher TV Interview for London Weekend Television Weekend World ("Victorian Values")[/url]

Note how Thatcher completely fails to mention the appalling levels of poverty which were a reality for the overwhelming majority of British people. And of course the majority of people despite the fact that they produced the nation's wealth, were powerless and were dependant (as she points out) on acts of kindness from the super-rich.

That is the vision of Britain which Thatcher had. Ordinary people would become dependant on benevolence from the super-rich ! Unbelievable ..... the super-rich moan and whinge endlessly about paying their fair share of taxes......for fux sake.

The Victorians had no 'values'. And conditions only started to change when the working-classes realised that they had power.

Sorry shatter your rose-tinted view on Thatcher flatboy.

Or maybe you find the thought of a society riddled with poverty and inequality really rather appealing ?

The biggest one Munqe-Chick. You?

We visited Chester a few years ago.
Walking into the town centre we passed a homeless guy sitting under a bridge who had a massive injury to one of his eyes. I couldn't help but turn and look at him. The sight of him really upset him. I made MrFC run back and give him £5.
The bloke said to MrFC.." really sorry if I upset your wife."

It disturbed me the whole of the day.
The next day we returned to the spot and searched for about an hour looking for the guy in order to offer more help.
We were unable to find him.
It haunts my thoughts to this day what happened to him.

Just made the effort and read some of the posts on it.
What a bunch of patronising bastards most of you are! Yes, I hope I get banned for using that word.
Do you actually think that the real homeless actually benefit from "charities"?
What if the cash you give them just funds their alcohol/drug habit?
Do you they think they are happy in their life?

[i]The majority of homeless people are homeless because they are raging alchoholics and drug addicts and unfortunately they will save your money for drink/drugs. [/i]

So they are homeless because they are druggies, or they are druggies beacause they are homeless?
I really would have expected more from you Munquechick, but sadly disappointed. But then you are a police officer... say no more!!

I am verging on the alcoholic...does that mean I'm homeless???

That post makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Nonsense=TAPS

As a street-homeless/drug/alcohol support worker I am not at all surprised by the prejudice to be seen on this thread. I have to deal with it all on a daily basis.

Dual diagnosis anyone?

BB

FoxyChick - check your email.

That post makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

If you're referring to FC's post, it made sense to me.

And I agree. Why shouldn't you give a rough-sleeping alcoholic the money to buy some booze ?

Is because you think they will cease to be alcoholics if you don't give them money ?

Is because you think they should steal instead ?

Is because you think they should spend the little money they have just on booze, and not other stuff like food ?

Well ?

Great thread.

A great impression was made on me in the mid 80's.
In my first job I went to London with my boss.
Chap came up and asked for money.
My boss said he didn't have any cash but had a credit card and would happily take the chap for breakfast with us in the cafe we were heading towards.
The chap then roundly abused us both for several minutes before stomping off.
It has never stopped me giving money but does make me wonder.
Could have been me if things had turned out differently.
May yet be me someday as my pension is now knackered.

I always buy the Big Issue and pay a couple of quid at least.
Make the boys go and buy it from the chap in Bakewell by the Co-op.
He always seems happy to see them and chats to them.
Seems a positive way to help.

I just try to keep in mind the words of the Dalai Lama when asked how we resolve the world's ill: "We just need to be kind to one another"
Those and the ones of God (Morgan Freeman) in that intellectually classic film Evan Almighty: "one random act of kiness at a time".

Only when I want them to dance for me!

Perhaps I should have been a little more explicit. Some of that post makes no sense to me whatsoever. Maybe because it was a little inflamatory and preachy.

What a bunch of patronising bastards most of you are! Yes, I hope I get banned for using that word.

But then you are a police officer... say no more!!

Good constructive feedback there. And not in anyway contradictory or prejudiced. I suppose the police perpetuate the capitalist society that has genereated inequality and they are to blame for all the worlds ills. Or something. Perhaps some of them might actually try really hard to help. Or something.

Do you actually think that the real homeless actually benefit from "charities"?

Yes I do because I have seen it happen on numerous occassions, with people I have worked with personally. I think alot of the formerly homeless staff at the same charities would tend to agree with me.

What if the cash you give them just funds their alcohol/drug habit?

I think that's a matter of personal choice. Anything that helps you cope with a fairly miserable situation isn't always a bad thing. But then I don't think people are being prejudiced if they don't want to use their money to fund drug or alcohol misuse. Equally if you want to give someone money to buy booze or brown then be my guest. I certainly don't think drug or alcohol misuse will help an individual get back into housing. If that's what they want.

Nonsense=TAPS

Flatboy:
[i]you're obviously not old enough to remember victorian times when there were loads of them - obviously there was a heady period in the early-mid 20th century where our streets were temporarily cleansed. [/i]

Yes, you're right. And that heady period coincided with a move towards a more equal, higher-tax society with a cohesive ethos, not a Sod-you from the rich. We're moving away from that now, to my disgust.