Do you give money to pan handlers/beggars?

I like to do a similar thing. I never give money to someone that asks but if I see someone scrounging or obviously in need: I give them every bill I have in my wallet. I'm not going to really miss it and it could change the guy's life at least for a day. of course the payoff to me is the gratitude the person expresses or just the look of shock they get.

 

I ran into a guy like that back in the early '90s and gave him some cash simply because he was honest.

Too each their own and I respect others opinions and actions.

Happy Happy Happy!

 

I was once one of those people and still have the scars on my body and lump on my back from being beaten with a baseball bat for my shoes to remind me. That was over 35 years ago and I have been giving to local food banks for years. It made me feel good to know that while I am eating Thanksgiving dinner hundreds of others are as well because of my help. I suggest you try giving to your local charity for the cost of a good car detail you can feed a lot of hungry people!

 

Carnut,
I am NOT going to make a judgement on how you came to be as you say "one of those people" years ago, but I will say congrats on overcoming your situation/past! I am sure your journey was not an easy one, but you probably are more appreciative of life than others (myself included) who have not had to overcome such circumstances.

 

I don't waste time on abstractions that I don't think have applications in the real world (those are known as errors.)

I don't believe in placing people in such institutions without a thorough process that's as fail safe as possible, with frequent reassessments of their status.

It's not even an option. But until such an option is devised an implemented we'll have the massive downside of hoards people living the horrible lives today's homeless do. For no practical reason.

 

I don't think it's a matter of either loving or hating people that are stuck in such a predicament, texasmr2. It's about enacting the best longterm solution without violating the rights of others.

I know of two local charities that can generate five meals for every dollar donated. I assume similarly efficient options exist throughout the country or could be easily implemented outside NY Metro. I just don't see how giving cash to someone in that situation, someone whom I know nothing about, is the right/responsible course of action.

And of course you should do as you please with your money. I think the discussion here is about what the best option is and why.

 

I realize all that so I guess I am alittle different when it comes to a charitable action, I do not overthink it I just help if I can. No harm no foul.

 

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/profile.php?do=ignorelist

Please refer to the link provided.

 

A few things having read this thread.

First the guy that talked about the "homeless" in Mexico who work in traffic selling trinkets, candy etc. These are not the "homeless" they are not the bottom rung of society. A large part of the population in third word economies have no choice but this level of work. These are hard working salt of the earth folk. There is a lower rung in these societies, so you are confusing the two societal levels.

The idea that you can generalize about all homeless is is not a realistic or insightful understanding of its causes and the people in that predicament. Any opinion derived from such a view is naive and ill informed and sometimes just self serving as a way to ignore the problem and feel self jsutified ignoring it.

Another thing to consider, the drunk and drugged "lifestyle" homeless are a huge problem for the neighborhoods they are in. Vandalism, petty crime, defecating and urinating all over the place, harassing customers of legitimate local businesses. This is a strong reason to donate funds to organizations attacking the overall problem rather than enabling with cash.

In San Francisco the cost of emergency services for substance abusers and their concomitant severe mental and physical health issues costs millions for the medical needs serviced at the public hospital-the paramedics, ambulances, stay in the hospital etc. This has driven an increase in high cost intensive services with residential treatment. The cost of homeless people on the streets is huge and the quality of life issues they cause in the neighborhoods are also a huge nuisance. These programs include counseling intervention to get them to agree to treatment. Another thing to consider about giving money on the street.

SF also started giving service vouchers instead of cash as assistance. This helped as SF paid one of the highest levels of assistance in the area and was attracting homeless. the program improved things.

Finally shoving a piece of paper saying "get a job" at them this shows a real lack of compassion. When you are intelligent and capable, you must us some of that ability to try to understand that all people aren't that way-low IQ's, learning disabilities, psychological problems, substance addiction-many of these aren't "choices" just the lot these people were dealt. Thank your lucky stars that you were born more fortunate and or had the werewithal to over come the challenges in your life. Being developmentally disabled is only one way that people end up mentally unable to function.

 

A few things having read this thread.

First the guy that talked about the "homeless" in Mexico who work in traffic selling trinkets, candy etc. These are not the "homeless" they are not the bottom rung of society. A large part of the population in third word economies have no choice but this level of work. These are hard working salt of the earth folk. There is a lower rung in these societies, so you are confusing the two societal levels.

The idea that you can generalize about all homeless is is not a realistic or insightful understanding of its causes and the people in that predicament. Any opinion derived from such a view is naive and ill informed and sometimes just self serving as a way to ignore the problem and feel self justified ignoring it.

Another thing to consider, the drunk and drugged "lifestyle" homeless are a huge problem for the neighborhoods they are in. Vandalism, petty crime, defecating and urinating all over the place, harassing customers of legitimate local businesses. This is a strong reason to donate funds to organizations attacking the overall problem rather than enabling with cash.

In San Francisco the cost of emergency services for substance abusers and their concomitant severe mental and physical health issues costs millions for the medical needs serviced at the public hospital-the paramedics, ambulances, stay in the hospital etc. This has driven an increase in high cost intensive services with residential treatment. The cost of homeless people on the streets is huge and the quality of life issues they cause in the neighborhoods are also a huge nuisance. These programs include counseling intervention to get them to agree to treatment. Another thing to consider about giving money on the street.

SF also started giving service vouchers instead of cash as assistance. This helped as SF paid one of the highest levels of assistance in the area and was attracting homeless. the program improved things.

Finally shoving a piece of paper saying "get a job" at them this shows a real lack of compassion. When you are intelligent and capable, you must use some of that ability to try to understand that all people aren't that way-low IQ's, learning disabilities, psychological problems, substance addiction-many of these aren't "choices" just the lot these people were dealt. Thank your lucky stars that you were born more fortunate and or had the werewithal to over come the challenges in your life. Being developmentally disabled is only one way that people end up mentally unable to function.

 

IMHO society in general has lost the true sense of the meaning, compassion. Most use the excuse "I want to know my contribution is being used for the right cause" yet they have never felt what it feels like to be without but they are the first ones to judge even though they hold no real concept of that reality.

You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.

 

some of the perspective of this problem is a function of where you live. where I live there is absolutely no shortage of services available. help is actively refused by some on the pretext that they want to be left alone and live as they choose. the collateral damage caused by a handful of chronic "troublemakers" is enormous.

 

Some posts on this thread lean on straw man tactics. motive projection, and the use of the conclusion they're trying to substantiate as part of the argument for that conclusion -- not my thing.

Thanks.

 

Having read the different replies here I thought I would post my own idea.
1. No more sanctuary cities, homeless go there and put an undue burden on every service imaginable.
2. No more lifelong welfare or public assistance where people make a career out of getting everything on the public dole.
3. Here illegally ? Immediate and automatic deportation for you and everyone in your group.
4. The establishment of living camps where all of the required services are in one location, medical services, education, rehabilitation, lifestyle recreation.
These camps will be monitored by both public and government entities.
There will be seperate camps for different individuals and groups:
1. Those with disabilities.
2. Those for single mothers with children.
3. Those for single men.
4. Those for single women.
5. Those for families
Each camp will have a certain level of self sufficient control, I.e. everyone living there gets involved, the benefit will be the increase in personal self esteem.
Each camp will have a form of govt. this govt. will be staffed by camp people and program administrators who will be observers and advisors.
The overall goal will be geared toward reintroducing these people back into the general society and not toward a long term seperation from that same society.
Camp members will be paid and will be provided financial counseling, on site stores offering products at the same price as off site stores will give people goals to save income and respect.

 

I personaly support anyone and everyones right to choose or not choose to give cash to handlers and/or beggars. I was just expressing my thoughts on the matter.

Happy Happy Happy,
Gregg

 

i support your support choosing or not choosing to give cash to handlers and/or beggars.

 

We all have a code we live by and neither one is right or wrong.

 

Contemptible Moral Relativism, less true words were never spoken. Human behavior does not evolve with that kind of thinking.

 

i wouldn't consider this moral relativism, just wrong and indefensible thinking. consider the simple case of a criminal, a rapist: is the moral code that he lives by "neither right or wrong"?

 

I do not always express myself correctly via the keyboard so my apology. What I was attempting to express was that each person has their own reasoning behind a charitable offering to a homeless person beit money,food,both or neither. That personal decision or the reasoning behind it does not mean that personal decision is right or wrong.

 

to put it another way, are you suggesting to divorce the reasoning from the action?

 

No I am not and I have never suggested that reasoning, atleast not intentionaly. I just think the act of kindness outweighs whatever perception said giver may have simply because they do not usually know what the person will do with the charitable goods or any monetary contribution they recieve.

I have given spare change or a few singles to pan handlers/beggars since I was a youngster and will continue to do so when I can. Although I never got to that point I have been homeless and was born into a very poor family and was taught from a very early age not to judge others in any way and that charity in any form or fashion is Gods work and I stand by that outlook.

 

I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that there are quite a few of the one percenters (yeah I am too) on this forum maybe even those who have posted on this thread. There are no beggars or homeless people in the town I live in and I rarely go to the City (where there are plenty) but I make it a point to give to the local charities (I also give to the Animal Charities they need help too) that feed the people who are on the streets. If you can feed 1000 people a meal for $1197.00 well to me that is a way to help. Help or do not help that is your choice but please do not think that everyone who needs your help chooses to be in the situation they find themselves. It is not as easy as you might think to climb out of that ditch. I doubt most of you would survive a week on the streets! Happy Holidays.

 

THIS.

I don't generally provide money to homeless persons. I understand that the root-cause of their homelessness is complex, and needs address involving much-more than $5 or a flyer that says "get a job" - if a person is suffering from Paranoid Schizophrenia, you should ask yourself: DO I WANT AN UNMEDICATED PARANOID SCHIZOPRENIC IN MY WORKPLACE? How about someone who suffers from Dementia? Or severe Bipolar disorder? What leads us to believe that these people can actually WORK with what is going-on mentally?

I have seen several on the streets of Worcester, who, unprovoked, begin screaming-back at the voices in their head. The rage on their faces and voices is real - want these folks on your staff, or in your neighborhood? Fact is, they might already be there, spiraling on a path of self-destruction. Some of them just 'drop-out' quietly and wind up on the streets. Some of them share their torment with the world and act-out in violent ways - how many mass shootings keep happening before somebody 'gets it'? Some of the posters in this thread act as though the solution to this is to change an individual's Economic situation - how pathetically naive. We The People fundamentally lack an understanding of debilitating psychological issues, and how to respond in a way that solves the problem, or doesn't make it worse.

 

Carnut, M James,
well said and I agree completely!