Giving money to the Homeless
By sandymay48
@sandymay48 (2030)
Canada
March 2, 2009 5:39pm CST
Hi everyone..I was driving through town the other day , watching the number of homeless people on the streets and people panhandling for money.
I know for a fact that not all the people are homeless. There are some perfectly healthy young people out there panhandling because they make more money than getting a job. I know this from one person personally. It bugs me that she does this.
Then there are some who are doing it to feed alchohol and drug addictions. They get their welfare cheque and its gone on their illnesses.
My question is, if a homeless person asks you for money, do you give them some?
Personally I dont..Here there is a welfare system so that nobody has to go without food and shelter, even if its not the best. Therefore many of them are feeding deadly habits and I dont want to contribute to them...
I have often taken food to them. I dont want to see anybody starve. Alchohol and drug addictions become deseases..People with deseases, still need to eat!
At one time when we had a farm, I used to take dozens of eggs weekly and donate them to the homeless shelters kitchen.
So, no I want give them money to feed a bad habit, but I have been known to pass a few bananas, and once my whole cheeseburger out the window to a hungry person!
1 person likes this
15 responses
@NuttyMomma (901)
• United States
3 Mar 09
personally I don't give money. I give goods (clothing,food,etc). I know there are people who abuse the system and people who are addicts and those who,like you said are just lazy but don't assume that it is easy to get help when you are homeless. there is an awful lot of red tape to get through to get help. sometimes people wind up with no where to go and can't receive the help they need. the system is not perfect. I don't give money because sometimes I feel there are better things to do.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
3 Mar 09
Hi NuttyMomma...I agree with you. I dont give money either. I have many times given food and clothing and other things.
Yes people are living on the streets for various reasons and its not always easy to get help. What I meant was here where I live, everyone can get help with food and shelter. Its in our charter of rights and freedoms. But there are many with addiction problems and this is where their money goes instead of on food and shelter. I dont lived in an overcrowded busy area where many people slip through the system. The system and much help is available..but they have to be willing to accept it and use it for the right purposes.
@NuttyMomma (901)
• United States
3 Mar 09
Sandy I checked to see where you live and said ahhh! canada! makes sense. I think that you have it together much better than we do in the US. Of course there is abuse everywhere but the way things are set up here, you have to jump through hoops and they still don't always help.
@shontia08 (846)
• United States
3 Mar 09
hello, i remember a few years back i was on my way home and there was this homeless man just sitting on the ground by the stop sign. when i stopped the car he asked me if i could spare some change, so i gave him $10. i was shocked to see him in the mall that saturday morning with a business suit on and everything. now unless the $10 that i gave him along with the money i am sure he got from others helped him clean up like that, which i know it didn't,i knew that i have been tricked. i was pretty pissed off about it, i think he knew it too because when he noticed me looking at him he left out of the mall pretty fast. knowing that there really is homeless people out there who really need help and to only have someone lie like that is just sad. i hope he get what's coming for him.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
3 Mar 09
Now you know why he can afford a business suit!..Praying on innocent peoples emotions,
Those kind of people if caught should be charged with extortion..To me, that is cheating people of money
@checapricorn (16061)
• United States
3 Mar 09
[i]Hi sandy,
In my Country, I used to give the money especially street children but I learned it that it is better to give them food rather than money.
We are not sure if they are using really those money to buy food and it might end up, we are supporting them of their bad vices...
When I got here in the US, my hubby don't give them too and told me different stories he heard from friends, like those guy has a great cars than most people etc...[/i]
@tea512 (687)
• United States
3 Mar 09
It is a tough call to judge a person as down and out or just out to make a buck. There are stories you read all the time in the New york post about panhandlers on the transit making thousand dollars a week. It is said that the people who need the money cannot get it and there are people who are milking the givers under false pretense. It is wrong not to give if you can, it wrong to take if you do not need. There are troubled times in deed.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
3 Mar 09
Yes it is a tough call. The ones who really dont need it but decide they make a nice living off of others hard earned money, make it really difficult for those who do need the help.
@lalola24 (130)
• United States
3 Mar 09
same here with me....i dont give money but instead i will give food for if your going to give bills that will just push them to do foolishness....their situation right now is the result of their being so lazy....though everyone of them got different story but but is only they will work and patient enough to find a new job theres no reason that they will have nothing....
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
3 Mar 09
yes they all do have a different story for sure..but not all are lazy. Many are facing mental health issues and addiction problems.
I refuse to feed the addictions by handing over money. I will however go out of my way to feed anyone...
Note to all mylottors....**** the above statement is not an open invitation for all 1620000 of you to show up for dinner!
@kumargamini1 (1)
• India
3 Mar 09
I surely help the homeless people who asks me, i will buy the food and give it to them but not as money
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
3 Mar 09
Hi there..I do the same as you. Food, clothing, etc, but no money!
Thanks for the reply
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
3 Mar 09
I have given a little, but mostly I give them food or blankets.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
3 Mar 09
Yes me too, I would much rather give something to help them out then give them money to feed a bad habit
@dorisday1971 (5657)
• Philippines
3 Mar 09
I don't give money to beggars and vagrants except if they are physically incapable of earning a living. It may be a pity to see them but some of them just love asking money intead of making something to do for a living.
@syankee525 (6261)
• United States
3 Mar 09
i don't give money to them, some has a choice to be homeless or not to be,
but one day i was in dc for a job interview. and this guy walked up to my car well i was at a red light, he was like
hey man got a few extra bucks?
i looked over him and though to myself ok i'm here tying to get a job and look at him.
so i turned to him. dude look man i got my good clothes on, and you are still dress better then me, i'm here trying to get a job so how about you help this brother out with 5 bucks ?
he walked off
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
3 Mar 09
....that was an awesome response...good thinking on your part..I bet he was shocked and didnt no what to say!
Have a good evening and thanks
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
3 Mar 09
i do sometimes give money to the beggars. cause i can't help it. cause i can see that they are really in need. i know that most beggars here in the philippines do not own home. but the only worry about giving them money is most kids instead buying the money for food they will buy it fro some cheap chemical they sniff for them to forget their hunger. and many times those kinds asking for alms are run by some group who earn from those beggars or who collect those money from beggars and just give them some poor place to stay on. and there are reports that those operators will gove to the far places in the country where there are lot of poor people and promise them good jobs in teh city and they will end up beggars which they dont have any more choice than to obey their new masters.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
3 Mar 09
Hi hotsummer..that is very interesting but sad to hear. Its awful how people take advantage of people. All the more reason I would not give money if it might really go to someone else who is just exploiting these poor people. Or also like you said, it could be going to feed a bad habit and I dont want to contribute to that.
I will and do give food, clothing etc, and donate to furniture and food banks.
@ktosea (2026)
• China
3 Mar 09
I used to give the homeliess people money panhadiling on the streets but now I don't give them money anymore,many are young man and they could make a living by their own hands and why should we help such persons,besides,many are reported being professional,they take that as a job,I hate this and now I don't give money out anymore.
@xiaozhao0723 (25)
• China
3 Mar 09
i am quite agree with you here.We have the same situation in my city.Some people are young and healthy,they can find a job simply as washing dishes or street cleaning.But they don't.I don't pity these people.They ask for money while doing no contribution to our society.
@gracypure (529)
• Philippines
3 Mar 09
Of course i give them a little but to those only who are disabled and very old. Few years back everytime a friend and me ate at the restaurant there are leftover foods, we'll just asked the crew to just pack and give them to the street people who really needs to eat.
@yogesh5c4 (8)
• India
3 Mar 09
well you have a great idea andyou are opting for a good solution.well these are modern days and no body is caring about the poor.even if e care them,we dont know for what purpose they are using the money which we atre donating them.we must see the entirs position and then we can give the money
@sandy1985 (10)
• China
3 Mar 09
In some cases, those who are panhanding are just cheating us. So many times, i will not give them anything. However, if i see a old person with gray hair, i will slow down myself and give them something. In my opinion, they are begging for surviving, so i want to help, though just a little.
@wenwenwang (108)
• China
3 Mar 09
I was used to give them money but gradually I found more and more "homeless" people panhandle for money. As you said, many of them are young people with a lot of strange excuses, such as "My wallet was stolen and plz give me six yuan to help me go home".... I doubted their actions and won't give them money again.
