Panhandlers in San Diego (2014, mortgages, hotel)

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by 22racegirl22

you know what!! All of you are a$$holes!!! I've lost my job, unemployment DOES NOT last a year and a half...doesn't even last a year...it lasts ONLY six months!!! I have a mortgage, two children, utilities, I DO have food stamps and I DO have cash aid...you know what ...food stamps are $490 for a family of 4 and cash aid is $610. I DO NOT live beyond my means but the home that I purchased has a mortgage of $1000 per month....WHy??? because the job I held (when they closed the doors) was paying me $60k per year...and I COULD afford it!!! But now cash aid doesn't even cover my mortgage let alone utilities and such. Forget my credit card, I had to STOP paying that all together. I do not have a rich family member nor do I have a savings account. I've had to panhandle just to make ends meet because all the programs in the world don't cover everything.

I usually panhandle in fashion valley and YES I DO drive myself there....my car was bought AND PAID OFF before I lost my job....are you telling me I should take a bus just to appease all of you??? I'm out there everyday to support my kids and NO WONDER I get dirty looks because of people like you!!! '

I do not sleep....when I get home from fashion valley and take care of my kids and lay them to bed I spend the ENTIRE NIGHT applying for jobs on various job boards and websites and I've been on 15 interviews....there's to many people competeing for the same jobs!! before I moved here from florida I'd NEVER gone on an interview that I did not get an offer on....but here in san diego it's not like that.

you people ASSUME money is for drugs and alcohol but REALLY think about this $hit.... or better yet, walk in my shoes...maybe then you'll give spare change. I've never touched a drug and haven't had a drink in over 15 years....not that I was an alcoholic but even a social drink!!!

You sound like you think other people owe it to you to help support your kids. They don't. Your mortgage, kids and utilities are YOUR responsibility; no one else's. Instead of panhandling, why not get a second job like other people do if their income isn't enough to make ends meet? Fast food, pizza delivery, waiting tables, or whatever it takes.

[moved]

Originally Posted by luzianne

You sound like you think other people owe it to you to help support your kids. They don't. Your mortgage, kids and utilities are YOUR responsibility; no one else's. Instead of panhandling, why not get a second job like other people do if their income isn't enough to make ends meet? Fast food, pizza delivery, waiting tables, or whatever it takes.

I agree. In fact the Luna Grill in Mission Valley at Fenton Marketplace has a sign in the window saying, "Foodies Wanted." Their website is Fresh Mediterranean | Luna Grill.

[Think4Yourself]

They don't average $100k per year, not even an order of magnitude less per year, but, yes, I do find them annoying and I don't give cash to beggers. I do donate to Father Joe's Village directly as that way I can be sure the money isn't spent on booze or drugs and instead is actually spent on things which actually do help homeless people recover from the reasons which made them homeless (mostly addiction and mental illness).

[22racegirl22]

First of all to the person who wrote that I was living beyond my means when I was making $60K and my husband was making $45k and we have a mortgage on 1564 sq feet of $1,000 CLEARLY you are f*cking RETARDED!!!! I could not find ANYTHING close to that size for less that $2,100 per month so check your information!!!

To the person who asked where the father of my children is???? Right here with me ....I'm SURE you a$$holes would LOVEEEE to try and pull the "you're a single trash mother" card...or your children's father is a deadbeat...blah blah...but NO!!! Thanks & nice try though!!!

Unfortunately, I was the human resources coordinator at my company and he was the warehouse manager AT THE SAME COMPANY!!! We were unfamiliar with "Biotech" industry and exactly HOW shaky and unstable that industry is ....or can be but we knew at THAT moment in our lives we were TAKING HOME over $100K between the 2 of us and that was EXCELLENT for our children so we accepted the positions to TRY to have a good living for our kids....we did not expect that one day we would be told "we lost funding, we're closing the doors by the end of next month but we are starting our RIF this Friday!!! Obviously with NOTHING shipping his department was the FIRST to go and because the VP of HR could handle the remainder of the close down I went shortly thereafter.....we've YET to find something....or at least something LEGIT.

Like I said...everyone is QUICK TO ASSUME....but consider this. What the f*ck is father joe's going to do for me??? I'm NOT homeless *yet*, I do not have an issue with clothing, nor do my children...in fact I have brand new suits in my closet from when I was working, all our clothes are in EXCELLENT condition. I've NEVER shopped at a high end store....I've ONLY purchased Walmart and/or Target for all of us but we keep them nice & clean....so again. I could go out to fashion valley in my nicely kept jeans and shirts and everyone starts looking at MY SHOES???? Did it EVER occur to you that once upon a time this mother who is now standing on your street corner USED TO have a job and could afford my shoes??? Instead people turn their nose up and I guess they think I'm using their money to buy sneakers.

So I go out there in the sweat pants I wear to do my yard work and an oversized tshirt from bass pro shops and the OLDEST sneakers I could find....go out there looking like a raggedy anne doll and NOWWWWW I get money???

So all of you would rather donate to me when I look like a tweeker than when I'm nicely dressed, perhaps even with a little makeup???? YEP!!!

But....back to father joe's!!! First of all the people that are eating at father joe's are the ones that are pieces of $hit!!! Why you ask??? They are eating there because they do not qualify for food stamps due to a drug crime or felony!!!

Anyways, I get food stamps so I don't need meals, I get EVERY discount on my SDGE bill available but it's still SOMETHIGN every month!!!

So I don't need clothes, don't need shelter, don't need food.....father joe's is for homeless!! So donate there all you want but at the end of the day that STILL leaves me on the street corner begging for help to pay MY electric bill because I've already got the LOWEST mortgage basically avaialable but cash aid barely covers HALF of that, then I have electric and any other BILL I might have, God forbid one of us DO need a new tshirt or shoes because ALL of my cash aid goes toward HALF my mortgage, food stamp card goes to feed my family....NOW WHAT??

You people that haven't been in THIS exact situation have ALL THE SOLUTIONS in the world but until you've had to try to explain the value of $1 to a child who USED TO be able to ask for a Happy Meal that is now crying her eyes out, screaming "mommy, but I'm SO hungry and they ONLY cost $1 for nuggets" and I have to tell her "Sorry baby doll....mommy will get you nuggets today as soon as I make $1 because you were SUCH a good girl while you waited to get your lunch!!!"

I INVITE each and every one of you to come and meet me at fashion valley, I'm nice...walk up and say hello! If my "sitter" (friend that watches the kids while I "work") happens to bring the kids by that park down the street and they're in my area while you're out there with me I'll let you meet my little girl too....maybe THEN one or two of you will believe me when my 4 year old can explain how people panhandle in shifts and has to EVEN know that information...MAYBE THEN your $1, or $5, or maybe even your $20 while going to some panhandlers (the ones with no teeth, sweating and shaking because they are "dope sick" out there for money to get their fix for the day) might go to BAD THINGS but how DARE the rest of you LOOK down at my shoes, assume my WHOLE STORY, give me a dirty look and drive away while I have hungry children in the nearby area waiting for me to run them over a few bucks so they can "go for a ride" (like it's an adventure to them) with the sitter to go make some kind of payment on the SDGE bill!!!

If you aren't brave enough or strong enough to have to walk in my shoes that's EXCELLENT for you but I did NOT choose to be here, I'm choosing to continue to do the BEST that I can for my children no matter what but how dare you make up MY STORY in your head....if you wanna know why I'm there ....ASK ME!!!! If even 25% of you would do that I would be able to spend MUCH less time on the street to make my goal to keep the lights on, more time being spent looking for work and ultimately that will lead to me being off the exit ramp ALL TOGETHER!!!!!

Think about it....and I'm serious about inviting any and all of you out there!!!

[Mike930]

I'm not going to quote the manifesto above, but will respond. In your first rambling, angry post, you never mentioned a husband making $45k. I can't speak for anyone else, but my psychic powers must have been on the fritz that day as I couldn't read your mind. I'll take a wild stab at it and guess no one else could either. That's why people said it looked like you over extended yourself and asked about the father of your children.

Um yeah. I'll just walk up to a panhandler and ask why they're there. I'm sure I'll get an honest answer. Especially when I know that one in Mission Valley spends time at Barona casino after panhandling. "Yeah, I'm panhandling because I like to gamble and it's much easier to let other people work hard and take their money instead of working myself."

I like the addition of the husband to the ever evolving story. Why isn't he working or panhandling instead of you? Do you have a cute kitten that you hold when you're out there? Trot out the children too?

Yes, you seem like a very nice person . As demonstrated here, the story changes as the criticisms come. I'll take a pass on visiting or giving you any money.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

They had to hire a security team to deal with aggressive panhandlers in OB.

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

They had to hire a security team to deal with aggressive panhandlers in OB.

Chose to, at any rate. I haven't spent a lot of time in OB but I've never been panhandled there. It seems to be a recently increasing thing there, from what I've read about it.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by oddstray

Chose to, at any rate. I haven't spent a lot of time in OB but I've never been panhandled there. It seems to be a recently increasing thing there, from what I've read about it.

Seems to be mostly at the beach. Last year I took my family down there for dinner and afterwards they wanted to walk down the beach. Big mistake. We got surrounded by about 10 of them. It got real uncomfortable fast since I had the kids with me. They were saying things like, "Hey man, how can we have a bonfire without beer, we need beer money!" I don't think they were even 21.

I'm always carrying so I thought about my options but they backed off after we stated we never carry cash only plastic. Very, very aggressive in my opinion. They were going from group to group of people on the beach and many just coughed up money. I was very relieved they moved on and so did we, straight back to the car. They also avoided any groups of guys that were down there that night.

I doubt a single one of em would be that brazen by themselves.

[LuvSouthOC]

Try west LA if you think OB is bad. Homeless central and very aggressive.

I almost got assaulted near a taco shop in North Park for refusing to give an aggressive beggar money. He didn't want the burrito which I offered to him. The gentleman then called me a white devil and said he'd like to see me dead. Lovely.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

Try west LA if you think OB is bad. Homeless central and very aggressive.

I almost got assaulted near a taco shop in North Park for refusing to give an aggressive beggar money. He didn't want the burrito which I offered to him. The gentleman then called me a white devil and said he'd like to see me dead. Lovely.

I've been there, no thanks. It's Donkeys like the one you encountered why I tell em to pound sand.