Giving to Homeless (how much, abuse, percentage, alcohol)
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I am sure that many homeless are simply unfortuante people who did not get a far share at life. However, I heard that at least half spend their money (that was handed to them) on drugs and alcohol addictions. Is this figure accurate? What percentage of the homeless population is an addict that will spend your money on the addiction? If it is at least half, is it even ethical to give anything to them?
The reality is that they wouldn't be homeless if they chose not to be. Most are druggies or drunks but those are choices. I dont & wont give them a dime since I already support them by paying taxes to fund their shelters & welfare.
We have a lot of schools in every state that have been closed down, no longer being used by students. Why can't those school buildings be converted into shelter for the homeless? Think about it, it'd be a great solution. The schools are usually 1-3 floors, have multiple classrooms on each floor, bathroom & shower facilities, gym, cafeteria, and a Nurses office.
They even have lockers where they could store their stuff.
Who would pay the utilities, security etc for all that? Maybe your not aware but for the most part our country is already broke without burdening those of us who work with things like that
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I do give to the homeless, even if they didn't approach me for it. I went blind 10 years ago -- but back when I could still see, there was a homeless woman crouched next to a garbage dumpster at the 7-11 store. It was super cold and windy outside (Las Vegas gets bad wind storms sometimes). Poor old thing had a ratty blanket full of holes ... it broke my heart.
I went into the 7-11 and bought what I planned to get, and picked up a large coffee, sugar/cream & a couple of microwaved hotdogs (they sold them inside all ready pre-cooked).
I went out and gave the coffee and hotdogs to her, she had tears in her eyes and said in a crackly voice ... "thank you very much, that was kind of you"
Thats kind of you without a doubt, but might it not be better to help her find a job? You should get to know them some, might be surprised to find that in most cases its just easier for them to get pity from you than a job.
They used to carry signs here that said "Will work for food" Now they switched to "Homeless, please help" I'v offered day labor to them & been turned down every time, I refuse to offer money when they are standing on the corner instead of trying to find a job
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I've helped others too, and do a lot of volunteer work for the disabled and the homeless.
That too is commendable, doing what we think best is a far different thing than expecting society to help them. Individuals doing what they can because they want to is where it should stop. We would all have more to give if we were not hosed down at tax time so badly, in large part funding welfare, shelters, food stamps etc.
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I think it is the responsibility of everyone living in this country that has clothes on their back, food on their table, money in their pockets, and a roof over their head -- to show some compassion toward their fellow man and help those that are less fortunate.
We all show compassion each & every time we pay taxes.
We all show compassion each & every time we pay taxes.
Can't say that I agree with you on that one.
I don't show or extend compassion by paying my taxes. I view paying taxes as a necessary evil. A burden.
If you want to extend compassion - and I do say if - to the homeless, give directly to a homeless shelter and/or food pantry and/or soup kitchen. Most of them are funded only through private donations.
Personally, I feel much better about my money being used to offer food and shelter to a homeless person, than knowing my money is being used by that person to buy alcohol and drugs.
[quote=Omaha Rocks;13848953]Can't say that I agree with you on that one.
I don't show or extend compassion by paying my taxes. I view paying taxes as a necessary evil. A burden.[quote]
I agree with that. Also, I think too often our tax monies are not being used wisely by our government officials. I like knowing that what I give goes directly to the organization that is in the business of helping those down and out.
I agree with that. Also, I think too often our tax monies are not being used wisely by our government officials. I like knowing that what I give goes directly to the organization that is in the business of helping those down and out.
Oh man, you just might start a lot of rants with that comment!
Currently I'm thinking about multi-billion dollar bail-outs of banks - you know, the predators who got us where we are today? Talk about being rewarded for criminal activity!
when I was a kid, in Chicago, we would occassionally hear a knock at the door and find a "down on his luck" guy, asking for food. Mom would always invite him into the kitchen and prepare a meal for him. She was reasonably cautious, however, and I remember that this happened one time, shortly before we were to go out for a picnic with neighbors. She commented that although she did not normally lock the doors, she though it was prudent to do so this time. . . .
How I wish that giving to those in need was as simple now as it was then. . . .
when I was a kid, in Chicago, we would occassionally hear a knock at the door and find a "down on his luck" guy, asking for food. Mom would always invite him into the kitchen and prepare a meal for him. She was reasonably cautious, however, and I remember that this happened one time, shortly before we were to go out for a picnic with neighbors. She commented that although she did not normally lock the doors, she though it was prudent to do so this time. . . .
How I wish that giving to those in need was as simple now as it was then. . . .
my mother has told me similar stories in the past. if being down on your luck haden't become a business model then we could more easily help the actual people in need.
that would also make it easier on charities, they wouldn't have to ration their care so much because there are people out there that just take and take and take.
i donate to the salvation army (the sata clauses at the door to walmart) but i will never give to a panhandler, i have a serious chip on my shoulder towards panhandlers.
[quote=Orincarnia;13851011]my mother has told me similar stories in the past. if being down on your luck haden't become a business model then we could more easily help the actual people in need.
that would also make it easier on charities, they wouldn't have to ration their care so much because there are people out there that just take and take and take.
i donate to the salvation army (the sata clauses at the door to walmart) but i will never give to a panhandler, i have a serious chip on my shoulder towards panhandlers.[/quote]
Sad to say, I do get callous from seeing so damn many of them. I know I'm in a cranky mood when I pass the schizo on the corner in the morning, screeching his gibberish and waving his paper cup at everyone, and mutter "****" under my breath.
my mother has told me similar stories in the past. if being down on your luck haden't become a business model then we could more easily help the actual people in need.
that would also make it easier on charities, they wouldn't have to ration their care so much because there are people out there that just take and take and take.
i donate to the salvation army (the sata clauses at the door to walmart) but i will never give to a panhandler, i have a serious chip on my shoulder towards panhandlers.[/quote]
Sad to say, I do get callous from seeing so damn many of them. I know I'm in a cranky mood when I pass the schizo on the corner in the morning, screeching his gibberish and waving his paper cup at everyone, and mutter "****" under my breath.
an awful lot of the present day homeless are mentally ill. . . probably not their fault, but at least in my opinion, it is a part of the role of government to provide for it's most vulnerable citizens. . . .ours does not, at least in that case.
an awful lot of the present day homeless are mentally ill. . . probably not their fault, but at least in my opinion, it is a part of the role of government to provide for it's most vulnerable citizens. . . .ours does not, at least in that case.
That was addressed earlier in the thread. We definitely noticed an increase in the mentally ill homeless in New York after Reagan cut the programs that kept them hospitalized in the 1980's. Before that we just had the occasional bag lady in the bus terminal or the old man who used to sit on the floor of the concourse in the World Trade Center yelling "a penny pleaaase" with his hand outstretched. Now they are competing for space. There's a whole benchload of them in the park across the street from where I work.
I'm sure it's not the corner guy's fault that he's crazy as a loon. I call him Gabby Johnson, because he looks and sounds just like the Blazing Saddles character of that name. It's just that when you see so much of it every day, you start to get used to it and even sometimes annoyed by their craziness, especially, as noted, when they are screeching unintelligibly at you at 7:30 a.m.
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