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that does not bother them either but if that is the condemnation take a good look at the next solicitor that tells you the money goes to feed the homeless or sick. friend they are in good company on that point.
That's a serious cop-out. To your point, I taped a great list on the inside of my cabinet right above the home telephone:
If they're on that list, I have no problem with telling the solicitor precisely what I think of their alleged charity.
What's more, before I give money to any charity, I look them up on Charity Navigator to make sure their donations are being spent as promised: Charity Navigator - America's Largest Charity Evaluator | Home There are pretty specific guidelines on what is acceptable expenditures and what is not.
As I stated earlier, I give a good deal of my time and energy to a charity for the homeless. That's really the best way to help the homeless, rather than just some guy standing at a corner with a cardboard sign.
I feel sorry for the majority of them. It's truly horrific reading some of these posts on this thread. Some of you have no idea how hard it is to get a job these days. Way easier said then done that anyone can get educated and find gainful employment. The competition for those jobs is fierce. Gaps is resumes are seen as a big time negative and will in most cases have to be explained.
Except for food stamps there is little help for one that is homeless unless you have children. Even then you probably have to have an address or you won't even get that. There is nothing for the down on your luck single man with no place to go. No doubt many don't care. The proof is reading some of these hateful, cold, and unsympathetic posts.
I came across a man who looked homeless with a sign the other day at the bottom of an exit ramp at a traffic light. I reached into my grocery bag and gave him a banana. He was very grateful. The look on his face and his gratitude gave me good feeling. I wish I could have done more to help.
Sturdy beggar is a former English legal expression for someone who was fit and able to work, but begged or wandered for a living instead.[1][2][3] The Statute of Cambridge 1388 was an early law which differentiated between sturdy beggars (those who were capable of working) and the infirm (handicapped or elderly) poor. Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1495 listed restrictions and punishments. In the 1530s and into the 1540s many English monasteries were closed, reducing resources available to the poor and in 1531 there was an order issued that justices of the peace could issue licenses to those unable to work, making begging by persons able to work a crime.[4] Sometimes men willing to work but unable to find work were lumped into the same category.[citation needed]
Types of sturdy beggar included the Tom o'Bedlam, who would pretend to be mad and follow people around. People would give him money to go away. The bristler used loaded dice that would land on any number he chose. This way, he could cheat at dice. The Counterfeit Crank would use soap to foam at the mouth, and pretend to have violent fits.
I feel sorry for the majority of them. It's truly horrific reading some of these posts on this thread. Some of you have no idea how hard it is to get a job these days. Way easier said then done that anyone can get educated and find gainful employment. The competition for those jobs is fierce. Gaps is resumes are seen as a big time negative and will in most cases have to be explained.
Except for food stamps there is little help for one that is homeless unless you have children. Even then you probably have to have an address or you won't even get that. There is nothing for the down on your luck single man with no place to go. No doubt many don't care. The proof is reading some of these hateful, cold, and unsympathetic posts.
I came across a man who looked homeless with a sign the other day at the bottom of an exit ramp at a traffic light. I reached into my grocery bag and gave him a banana. He was very grateful. The look on his face and his gratitude gave me good feeling. I wish I could have done more to help.
This is simply not true. There are agencies and charities galore that will help in any town in America. The one I work with provides three hots and a cot, literacy training, skills training, job placement, and counseling when it comes to the question of substance abuse.
And while you'll see a lot of over-the-top statistics bandied out there to have you reach for your wallet or call your legislator, in truth a great deal of homelessness stems from two factors: substance abuse and mental illness. And substance abuse is the bigger cause by a very large margin.
The problem with addicts is that every time they open their mouths, a lie comes fluttering out. Lying becomes second nature to them, which is why they have alienated everyone in their lives from spouses to family to friends and employers. That's why they have nowhere to go. So when you encounter someone on the streets who gives you their story, just remember that it's very likely that you're being fed a very long line of bull. You are the last in a very long line of sympathetic ears who have been played for, excuse the expression, suckers.
By some weird twist, I had an employee like that. The guy was freaking brilliant in the interview. The first two weeks on the job, his work was amazing. But he was paid on a Friday and called in sick the following Monday. And Tuesday. And Wednesday. And Thursday. And Friday. And the week after that. Finally, after two weeks of this, I called his father. In the most heartbreaking conversation I've ever had, the father told me his son was a chronic alcoholic who, whenever he got paid, would go out on a bender.
Three years later, I encountered this guy in the shelter. Not as a guest of the shelter, but as a counselor. It took him being thrown out of his house and getting to the end of his rope to seek help. The shelter straightened him out and gave his life meaning again. Funny thing, he and I have had dozens of conversations over the years, but we have not once mentioned that he used to work for me. I guess he's embarrassed at what happened and I don't want to humiliate him in front of the other staff members.
Meanwhile, economic dislocation due to losing a job is a very, very small percentage of the homeless population. Someone who is homeless because he has lost his job typically is jobless for a very good reason. Sure, there are a few exceptions, but they are rare. In all the years I've spent around homeless people, I've have learned that, almost always, there's a very wide gap between the stories they tell and the lives they've lived. That guy who gives you the sad story about being laid off by the cold, unfeeling boss? Chances are pretty good that he was fired because of frequent absenteeism, poor performance, theft, or general dishonesty.
In truth, the only way to really help the homeless is to get them off the streets, get them into a structured environment, and slowly wean them off the addictions that are stealing their lives. Sometimes that means tough love in terms of withholding privileges or even evicting them from the shelter until they're ready to follow the rules.
Now, my comments up to this point have been about men. But women are largely different, especially those who have children. While substance abuse remains a significant problem among women, they will be more likely to be homeless because of external issues such as divorce, abandonment and spousal abuse. What's more, they tend to be far more likely to remain in a shelter and abide by the shelter's rules. So the efforts for women tend to be centered around self-esteem and skills development so they can learn to live on their own.
Hey, I'm sympathetic to the homeless or I wouldn't have spent all these years helping. I've been involved in literacy classes, counseling, and job placement. But you aren't doing the homeless any favors by taking what they say at face value. And you sure as hell aren't doing them any favors by flipping them a couple of bucks on the street. That's far more about assuaging your own guilty conscience than it is about helping them.
I'm always surprised when approached by a beggar, perhaps because the local beggars are usually quiet and meek. The mentally ill are usually under the bridges or in rail yards. The more motivated panhandlers are walking the high-traffic areas. I know of a few street people with phones who share turns at the best high-traffic spots (they have an actual weekly schedule), but again, they're usually not aggressive.
We had a guy down the street from work who would sit in a lawn chair regardless of weather, buy a tea or coffee from the gas station, and set up his homeless/need money sign. He never hassled people, just accepted whatever change they threw at him. He disappeared one day and we joked he probably had collected enough to retire to Florida.
I was on my way to the subway station in town and some Hispanic guy asked me for money. I asked if he was hungry, to which he said yes, so I took him across the street to McDonald's and told him to order anything he wanted; he got a Large Big Mac Meal. If I gave the money to some charitable organization it would have gone into someone's pocket. If I just gave him a $5 he might have bought beer with it. Who know/cares? It was his, I gave it to him. I did what I thought best.
I couldn't teach him how to fix his present condition so I gave him a fish for the day so he could eat.
I understand your sentiment of intending good things and can appreciate you didn't just give him cash that may not have been spent well (such as the beer you're talking about). I think your heart may be a little misguided but ultimately in the right place.
That said, a few thoughts:
1) While we can find charities that do not fulfill their mission or stated intent (and some that are outright scams), there are plenty that are legitimate. The Salvation Army plainly posts how they allocate their money via this link. If you prefer another charity, you can go to Charity Navigator to find those charities that use their donations legitimately. However, I'm thinking the employees and volunteers at Salvation Army have very few or no Coach bags or new Cadillac's off your donation.
2) While buying a meal is better than the cash for fear of how it will be spent, it still reinforces the idea of staying in a bad and dependent situation. It would have been even better to pay for a taxi ride to the Salvation Army or other charity to get him a meal plus connected to programs getting him off begging or other assistance.
And I would be willing to bet that the incidence of that is far greater in the homeless population, and perhaps even greater in the general population. I've never met an alcoholic or addict that didn't have a pre-existing mental health condition, from basic anxiety or depression, to severe ptsd to schizophrenia or bipolar. Personality disorders, etc.
I know I have hyped this book before, but in the realm of hungry ghosts by Gabor mate can change your view on the homeless, addicts, hookers. I felt like I had compassion for the down and out, but that book was...life changing. Both how I viewed others and how I viewed myself. I listened to it on audio book (I drive a lot). Phenomenal! He does take the USA to task on some of our policies (he is Canadian) but he is likely correct, and I am thick skinned. So it might not be a good read for people more sensitive and unable to deal with criticisms of American policy.
I have heard people who panhandle make as much as $500 a day.
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Originally Posted by Rogerluli
Recently saw a guy standing at the side of the street with a sign which said..."Need money for beer"...and people were giving him money...
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Originally Posted by cpg35223
Probably because they found his honesty refreshing.
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Originally Posted by MaseMan
Yeah, a lot of times those guys will get a better reaction because they are at least being honest and come off as non-threatening.
It worked for John Stossel, who went undercover and posed as a beggar. Rather long video, but worthwhile to better understand why giving cash to panhandlers is not the solution.
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