Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Massachusetts > Boston
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 01-30-2020, 01:43 PM
 
Location: Providence, RI
12,870 posts, read 22,026,395 times
Reputation: 14134

Advertisements

Interesting read in the Globe about interacting with homeless people in Boston: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/01/...meless-people/

How do you interact with them (or avoid them)? Do you give money or not?

I remember being a little kid at the Intersection of Mass. Ave and Huntington and handing a dollar bill that my mom gave me to a homeless man who smiled brightly and said "God Bless!" In the years that followed, I got angry any time someone said "don't give homeless people money, they're just going to use it on drugs!" I thought that was a ridiculous generalization and I was surely wise enough to know who was drinking/doing drugs or not. And like the author of the article, whatever they did with the money was none of my business.

But over time, my stance has changed. Especially after working in human services and having a lot of exposure to homeless engagement/outreach efforts. For starters, almost nobody who works regularly with homeless people would advise anyone to give cash directly to someone panhandling on the streets. Not even because of the tried and true "they're just going to use it for drugs!" Mostly because it encourages the continued behavior of living on the streets. Many homeless people are presented with options to stay in shelters, participate in vocational programs, etc. But panhandling can be more lucrative and provide more freedom and a community that they prefer to the structure of a shelter environment or voc. program.

A few years back a homeless outreach worker told me that I should try offering something else instead of money when asked by a homeless person. So I tried it, and the results were pretty jarring. The vast majority declined. There was one guy who accepted a Dunkin iced tea every now and then (and I happily provided it), but almost always the stories were a ploy to get cash. A few examples (of many):

Man: "Do you have a dollar or two so I can buy a ticket for the T?"
Me: "No, I don't have cash, but I do have stored value on my card and I can tap you in if you want."
Man: "Oh, thank you, but here's the thing... I need to take the T to South Station and buy a commuter rail ticket and I don't have the cash for that."
Me (knowing this is a scam at this point): "Ok, well I'm heading that way, I can grab a commuter rail ticket from the machine for you - where are you heading?"
Man: "Well, I was going to go to Providence to meet my ex and my daughter, but they might be in NYC, so I need to see about an Amtrak ticket."
Me: "Well Amtrak is right at South Station, so I can get that ticket there too."
Man: "Do you think you could just give me cash? I don't want to buy a ticket yet if I don't know where I need to go."
Me: "I can't do cash, but I'm happy to grab you a ticket to Providence or NYC if you need it."
Man: "Not even like $20? There's an ATM there"
Me: "No, I'm not withdrawing cash. But if you need a ticket I'll help."
Man: "I'm good." *storms off*

Another:

Woman: "You have change? I'm starving and I need to get some food."
Me: "I don't have cash on me, but if you want something from a restaurant around here, I can go order for you."
Woman: "Oh, I'm waiting for my sister to get here so we can go get food together - that's why I need the cash, we're both hungry."
Me: "Sorry, no cash. But I can definitely get you some food quick while you wait"
Woman: "I JUST NEED CASH BECAUSE I'M NOT EATING NOW!"
Me: "Ok, sorry I don't have any. Good luck."
Her: "F**K YOU You F**king a**hole [continued on for a bit]"

So I don't do cash anymore. There are programs you can support that have a much greater impact on homeless supports than handing a dollar or two to a person with a cup on the street. They're almost certainly not all scamming for drugs, booze, etc. but there's enough of that out there that I can't do it anymore. And I can't rest easily on the "It's their money, their choice" logic.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-30-2020, 01:58 PM
 
787 posts, read 780,885 times
Reputation: 800
This clip sums it up for me:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwP2vV6Wm1Y

I've had similar experiences in NYC and Boston that you described.

The first time I took the train to Grand Central from CT a guy asked me for money the second I got out of the station. Then there's the people in the subways begging.

Never ending.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-30-2020, 08:41 PM
 
Location: Bergen County, New Jersey
12,168 posts, read 8,014,676 times
Reputation: 10139
Quote:
Originally Posted by Louisville Slugger View Post
This clip sums it up for me:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwP2vV6Wm1Y

I've had similar experiences in NYC and Boston that you described.

The first time I took the train to Grand Central from CT a guy asked me for money the second I got out of the station. Then there's the people in the subways begging.

Never ending.
Yeah NYC is pretty intense with the homeless beggers.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-31-2020, 06:48 AM
 
3,808 posts, read 3,139,335 times
Reputation: 3333
The overwhelming of majority of the homeless you'll encounter have severe mental health issue and/or severe substance abuse issues - particularly in harsh climates like the Northeast. For these people to have even remotely positive outcomes, it requires significant systems level intervention - not dollars in a cup. If you feel empathy for these people and wish to improve their conditions, donate time of money to the institutions who are trying to intervene and elevate.

Otherwise, that cash has better utility tipping wage-slaves on the margins who are of sober and clear mind.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-31-2020, 07:15 AM
 
23,567 posts, read 18,707,417 times
Reputation: 10824
Panhandling is a lucrative industry. You will have multiple "workers" working an intersection for a head guy (who typically gets some kind of a cut), and they will typically rotate in shifts. I never give them money. I once handed some guy a job application, who then unloaded an endless rant of cuss words. I ran into him a few more times, but he never bothered me again.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-31-2020, 09:15 AM
 
Location: Bergen County, New Jersey
12,168 posts, read 8,014,676 times
Reputation: 10139
Well Winthrop Square Tower is putting over $40 Million dollars for a 100+ bed homeless rehab site in Boston. Thats a good start.

We can do better.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-31-2020, 09:44 AM
 
7,114 posts, read 4,536,107 times
Reputation: 23291
If I have leftovers from a meal and am caring it I frequently have homeless ask if they can have it. They are hungry and I give it to them.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-31-2020, 11:38 AM
 
Location: Westwood, MA
5,037 posts, read 6,923,971 times
Reputation: 5961
Quote:
Originally Posted by masssachoicetts View Post
Well Winthrop Square Tower is putting over $40 Million dollars for a 100+ bed homeless rehab site in Boston. Thats a good start.

We can do better.
$40m/100 = $400,000. Surely something is off on those numbers.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-31-2020, 01:26 PM
 
Location: Bergen County, New Jersey
12,168 posts, read 8,014,676 times
Reputation: 10139
Quote:
Originally Posted by jayrandom View Post
$40m/100 = $400,000. Surely something is off on those numbers.
Il redirect you to the project Auxillary supplemental task on the BDPA website for any specific number discrepancies.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-31-2020, 06:39 PM
 
Location: The ghetto
17,742 posts, read 9,192,519 times
Reputation: 13327
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shrewsburried View Post
The overwhelming of majority of the homeless you'll encounter have severe mental health issue and/or severe substance abuse issues - particularly in harsh climates like the Northeast. For these people to have even remotely positive outcomes, it requires significant systems level intervention - not dollars in a cup. If you feel empathy for these people and wish to improve their conditions, donate time of money to the institutions who are trying to intervene and elevate.

Otherwise, that cash has better utility tipping wage-slaves on the margins who are of sober and clear mind.
But they won't go to the shelters. If people don't give them money, they'll rob/steal and/or resort to prostitution in some cases.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Massachusetts > Boston

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top