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Not usually, I prefer to donate to organizations that help the homeless. Especially in Portland, I knew too many of the homeless there and many of them had video poker addictions and you would see them in the bar spending all the money they got on video poker.
I use to give money to people on the streets. In Chicago, it's the same people every day at the same time, in the same spot!
There are too many resources in this city for them to be hungry. They could call 311 at anytime and get food.
There are some who are professional street hustlers who make more money than I do.
So no. I don't give money to homeless or hustlers.
Back in the early 90's there was a guy who routinely alternated between the 2 Metra train stations. His pitch was that if you gave him money he promised to not use it to board a train to suburbia and beg in your hometown.
We have too, who has not. However we watched as a couple bought food for a Homeless so it appeared. We were across the street eating in our car.
Let me tell ya what the man did, Think they want food. Soon as the nice gesture couple left. A couple minutes later, this guy who is now walking much better.
Goes to a garbage can, and threw the food away. Maybe it is only me, but i had a problem with this. This couple and their unselfish gesture, was not even appreciated by this person.
One time another story different day, we were in the I.E. region where one of our rentals are. We were getting gas. We saw this supposedly homeless person, walk to a Hot Lexus. Now maybe it is only us, but come on now top of the line Lexus and your homeless. His car was across the street in another parking lot. And yes we watched him all the way until he got into it.
I DO quesiton now who is or is not really homeless. To easy to fool people with people wanting to do what is right. You buy food for someone from the goodness of your heart, and they pay you back by throwing it away. That tells me they want cash.
It's been awhile but yes, I have given money. I don't give money at all to the people who have their long drawn out sob story because it's fake. If someone appears to honestly need it, I'll give them something. There's a resident crazy lady who asked me for a cigarette once & when I said no she went off on me. I gave her a piece of my mind & since then, she's avoided me, lol.
I confess that I sometimes give money to older women or very old people. It is discriminatory, I know.
I was once walking down a rather shabby shopping street - 69th Street in Upper Darby, PA (a rather worn and lower income neighborhood) - and there was this very pathetic looking old (very old 70's or '80's) white woman just standing there. She seemed like she made a real effort to be neat and well groomed, she was clean and her hair was combed and she even had a wee bit of makeup on, but her clothes were old, faded, and worn looking. She looked like she wanted to panhandle, but just couldn't bring herself to ask passersby for money. She was a lady with an air of dignity. I walked by her and was heartbroken because I sensed she was so sad and pathetic looking. After looking back at her ... she was just standing there looking like a lost puppy ... I walked back up the block to her and without saying a word I emptied my wallet which had maybe two 5 dollar bills and a few singles, and gave it to her putting it in her hand. Not a word was spoken, but she seemed so grateful.
I figure the people who give bums money are in part resposible for their plight. Many people turn to begging because they know some people will give.
If they knew no one would give them money they would find other ways to survive like working.
Some street people are mentally ill and there are programs to help those people, but the majority of people with signs in their hands on street corners are porfessional bums, and some of them earn more than the stupid saps giving them their money.
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Do you give money to bums on the street?
