Homeless Person Money

Do you ever stop to give a homeless person money?

 

I don't. I'd say 99% of the people that stand on the main intersections asking for money are not homeless.

A few years back I lived in a large city, here in FL, and I was told that the whole city was pretty much divided among the so-called homeless people. Everybody knew where and when they can stand asking for money.

There are numerous anonymous stories from local bank tellers where they say that they see countless "homeless" people bringing in cash to deposit to their bank accounts in the amount of $300-400 a day.

So the majority of the homeless people you may see on a day to day basis are nothing but con artists.

If you really, truly want to help a needy person, find out from your local charity services if there's a family in need that could use your help. Sometimes a needy person can be someone in your extended family. You will be better off helping them than some bum on the street.

 

There is a husband and wife team at a major shopping center near my home that take turns manning a high traffic location for panhandling. One always drops the other off in an expensive SUV. A newspaper article on them a while ago indicated that they were making $70K+ per year by sitting in a folding chair on this corner and begging for handouts. Not all beggars are faking it, but given that some are and that some others may not use the money for food or shelter (alcohol and/or drugs might be the intended purchase) it is generally best to give money to organized charities that are equipped to handle these types of issues.

Better yet is qwikad's comments that you should look to your extended family and friends for people to help out. That type of help generally works best for both the donor and the donee, in my experience.

 

I nearly always give them something as you never know what circumstances led them there or how easy it can happen (illness leading to them losing their job etc). Sure there will be some scammers but not that many.

 

It's not a good philosophy to live by tuppence. Although it may tickle your sense of benevolence at the moment, at the end you're doing a disservice by helping the con artists (who, by the way, will be laughing all the way to the bank while counting your hard-earned dollars).

PS I forgot to mention something in my previous post. Real needy people hardly ever beg for money anywhere. Their dignity doesn't allow them to do that. Those who beg for money on a regular basis have their conscience seared. As a rule, those people are calloused, insincere and have a pattern of taking advantage of other people. Or their are just point-blank drug addicts or alcoholics.

 

Truer words were never written. There have been a few situations in which I have sought out a truly needy person to give some money to. I had to fight really hard to get them to accept it. I was extremely impressed by their quiet dignity and did everything that I could to help them maintain it. I have never seen anything like that on a street corner, by the way.

 

I am sure you are right. I can remember some pretty hard times in my younger days and never ever thought of asking for a hand out.

 

@sarahk Yep it is a also a very good practice to give food instead of money!

 

You all are right not to give them money, if they knew how to manage their money they wouldn't be in the situation in the first place. But where is your charity. At least offer them some food, or give them your coat. We can be the miracle in peoples lives. Offering them food is also the quickest way to test if they are really needy or if you would be funding their alcohol addiction. Needy people almost always take the food.

 

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

 

I refuse to give any money to anyone that's asking for money, but I have and will always give someone money only if I seen them in desperate of needs them. A lot of them do get money and buy drugs or alcohol especially in this area, sadly. If someone begs me for money, I will ask them what is it for and if they tell me like foods then I be more than happy to get them foods as I have few of times and if they said they are not hungry and that they just want to have money for later on when they get hungry and I will tell them that I will not do that but whenever they are hungry, come to my office and I will personally get them foods only.

As goes for money, the truly homeless almost never beg for any money because like quikad said that they have the dignity or will not admit that they are in need of money so if I see anyone in their eyes that they need money I give it to them especially the people that I do know and know for a fact that they really don't have much of money for anything.

If you see a homeless person asking you the money, be sure to ask what is it for and if they say it's food then be a guest and go buy foods from fast food restaurants or somewhere then bring them to the homeless person but if they say that they just needs the money then I would advise to not give them any money because most of the times if they are homeless they have to be hungry to a point that they don't turn down foods because having foods is the most important thing to have as a homeless person than secondly the clothes or if it's in winter then a blanket or help them by getting them to the shelter.

 

Bought a homeless person a meal the other day. Been meaning to do that for a long time!

 

Giving a homeless person food could easily backfire if that person becomes sick and sues you for food poisoning, any medical bills and so on. I would not recommend anyone give food unless it's to take that person to a restaurant or grocery store to get it. There has been quite a bit of times in the USA, where the "Good Samaritan" was punished from trying to help someone in need. So be careful.

Personally, I have given money and still give money (or scratch-off tickets) to anyone for the sole reason of because I felt like it. Doesn't matter if you're homeless, acting like you're homeless, or have a home and you're well off. If I am in the mood to give one or multiple people some money, I will go and just pick anyone (whether they need it or not) and give them any amount of money I feel like giving. But that's just me.

 

Picked up an interesting tidbit yesterday via my daughter who is a pharmacy student. Her instructors gave her class some training on the homeless. They were told that it is easy to spot a true homeless person in the hot summer months. If the "homeless" person is dressed in shorts, tee shirt, or other summer appropriate attire, they are likely not homeless. True homeless will be bundled up in layers of clothing, even in the heat, because, as real homeless people, they will have lost core temperature from a lack of proper fuel (i.e., food.)

 

There's a guy who sits out in front of my local grocery store in the evenings. From my interactions with him, I'd say he's not all-together there mentally. He never said he was homeless. He never asks for money. He just sits in front of the store and says "God bless you sir/ma'am" to the people coming and going.

I was sitting in my car in the parking lot one night and just watched the guy while I waited for my girlfriend. Within 5 minutes I must have seen 10 people give him money -- and keep in mind he never asked for any, he was just there. One guy gave him some change, went into the store, then came out and gave him a note. He pulled a nice stack of them out and wrapped the new one around the bundle, then put it back in his pocket just as a lady was coming out to give him a bag of food.

So if all else fails, just sit in front of a popular store and simply say God bless you to everyone who passes by.