Do You Ignore the Homeless? (San Diego, San Francisco: camp, food, wealthy)

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Paula Lynn

Not too long ago a guy approached me and asked for some change. I gave him a handful of coins and he said "man, that's not enough". So, I will not give out change.

would you give out bills or are you just not going to give anything?? I would be so pissed I would never give anything again. Well, I think I would feel that way. I think it always is a hard call, you ignore them or say, no sorry and you feel guilty, what if they really did want to go in and buy a sandwhich, if you give them money you wonder what they really did with it? About a year or more ago before we moved to AR we were playing bridge at our church. A women in maybe her 30s, came inside asked for money for gas and said she had a couple of young kids in the car. There was more to the story but she also wondered if we would give her a couple glasses of water for the kdis? We could see them, we gave her water and 1/2 of us gave her a few $$s. I was a little surprised and put out at the ones that would not help her. Yes, her story could have been bogis, but if it was, she was a real pro!!! By the way, after that and a few other problems with people trying to get something because is was a church we started locking the doors of the rec room.

Nita

[zenkonami]

Several Friday nights ago I saw a homeless man (at least I presume he was homeless from his disheveled appearance) leaning against one of the columns at the NoHo subway station. He had a dirty plastic milk crate and a cardboard box (and a pair of broken sticks I presume he got from the rehearsal place on Lankershim, but I didn't ask) and was playing them like drums and singing softly. He had his ballcap out in front of him and had collected some money already. I dropped him a couple bucks myself. It really didn't sound that great, but he had some rhythm and his voice was sweet and low. Whenever someone would drop him some coin he'd nod and tag in a quiet "thank you."

I know that sometimes things get really bad and it comes down to just begging to get through another day, and I understand that there are a lot of homeless that are mentally ill, but I've come across many who are not, and rather than beg I'd rather they at least make an effort to support themselves in ways like this drummer guy did. I fully support helping to get the homeless back on their feet with some good programs and charities, etc... After all, many of these people have essentially lost their identity and it's hard to regain that and get back into the working world...but in the meantime I think there's a lot of dignity to be regained by using or working on a talent and presenting it to people instead of begging. It takes them from seeming like a blight to becoming part of the culture and vibrance of this highly cosmopolitan city.

Frankly I wish I could have given him more...or even bought him a drum or a fresh pair of sticks...but I don't make much money myself (even if it's more than he does.) I hope he's able to spend that money improving his art...if he doesn't need it for food...and hopefully he's got dignity and confidence enough not to get caught up in heavy drinking or drugs instead.

Now I wish I'd at least talked to him.

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by nmnita

would you give out bills or are you just not going to give anything?? I would be so pissed I would never give anything again. Well, I think I would feel that way. I think it always is a hard call, you ignore them or say, no sorry and you feel guilty, what if they really did want to go in and buy a sandwhich, if you give them money you wonder what they really did with it? About a year or more ago before we moved to AR we were playing bridge at our church. A women in maybe her 30s, came inside asked for money for gas and said she had a couple of young kids in the car. There was more to the story but she also wondered if we would give her a couple glasses of water for the kdis? We could see them, we gave her water and 1/2 of us gave her a few $$s. I was a little surprised and put out at the ones that would not help her. Yes, her story could have been bogis, but if it was, she was a real pro!!! By the way, after that and a few other problems with people trying to get something because is was a church we started locking the doors of the rec room.

Nita

The money for gas scam is old as can be and is ALWAYS baloney.

So is the one around downtown where a guy will be in his jail garb acting like he just got released and just need a couple bucks for the bus to get back home. Its bs and will make the local crack dealer very happy.

Everyone that is homeless in LA County AND wants help, can find a bed and social services including food. Its just that drug users won't take advantage of this and neither will many of the mentally ill because of the rules these social services place on residents.

No one should ever be handing out money to a homeless person on the street. If you want to give, donate to Midnight Mission or Salvation Army.
Your money is much needed and will go to very good use, actually helping people to truly rehabilitated their life.

Handing money to someone on the street might make you feel warm and fuzzy and good about yourself, but all it does is get the person high one more time and contribute money to bad people(drug dealers/gang members).

[Jane72]

After all, many of these people have essentially lost their identity and it's hard to regain that and get back into the working world.

This is a big problem.
I have some experience with the homeless- homeless youth in particular. Homelessness is a subculture. Homeless people have their own identities within this subculture, and their identities are as real and valid to them as ours are to us. Their culture is as real and valid to them as ours is to us, and often their contempt for mainstream, consumeristic society is at least equal to most ordinary people's contempt for the homeless and the way they live.

I have actually tried helping homeless people get on their feet, and the problem is that they keep going back to the street over and over. It's the world they know, it's where their friends are, and it's a place- a culture- where they, as individuals, have a unique and special identity... something they will lose if they leave the homeless subculture and rejoin mainstream society, where they are anonymous and often feel isolated and as if there is nobody who understands them or who they can relate to.

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by Jane72

This is a big problem.
I have some experience with the homeless- homeless youth in particular. Homelessness is a subculture. Homeless people have their own identities within this subculture, and their identities are as real and valid to them as ours are to us. Their culture is as real and valid to them as ours is to us, and often their contempt for mainstream, consumeristic society is at least equal to most ordinary people's contempt for the homeless and the way they live.

I have actually tried helping homeless people get on their feet, and the problem is that they keep going back to the street over and over. It's the world they know, it's where their friends are, and it's a place- a culture- where they, as individuals, have a unique and special identity... something they will lose if they leave the homeless subculture and rejoin mainstream society, where they are anonymous and often feel isolated and as if there is nobody who understands them or who they can relate to.

I agree with you completely. Based on this, why in the world would people just hand them money and make it easier for these people to continue this flawed existence?

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by JohnG72

The money for gas scam is old as can be and is ALWAYS baloney.

So is the one around downtown where a guy will be in his jail garb acting like he just got released and just need a couple bucks for the bus to get back home. Its bs and will make the local crack dealer very happy.

Everyone that is homeless in LA County AND wants help, can find a bed and social services including food. Its just that drug users won't take advantage of this and neither will many of the mentally ill because of the rules these social services place on residents.

No one should ever be handing out money to a homeless person on the street. If you want to give, donate to Midnight Mission or Salvation Army.
Your money is much needed and will go to very good use, actually helping people to truly rehabilitated their life.

Handing money to someone on the street might make you feel warm and fuzzy and good about yourself, but all it does is get the person high one more time and contribute money to bad people(drug dealers/gang members).

The midnight mission, I was wondering if they were still in business? My dad used to pick guys up and have them help him in our yard on Saturdays. He paid them fairly well, gave them a good home cooked lunch and then took them back.

As for the gas thing, Yep, I am sure it is an old scam and usually I turned people down, but this just seemed real for some reason, unfortunately we lived in a very small town (actually outside of town) in NM with lots of poverty and there wasn't really anywhere else to send this lady. You are probably right though..

If she hadn't had those two little ones that wanted water with her I might have re-acted differently.
Nita

[timelesschild]

Originally Posted by Jane72

This is a big problem.
I have some experience with the homeless- homeless youth in particular. Homelessness is a subculture. Homeless people have their own identities within this subculture, and their identities are as real and valid to them as ours are to us. Their culture is as real and valid to them as ours is to us, and often their contempt for mainstream, consumeristic society is at least equal to most ordinary people's contempt for the homeless and the way they live.

I have actually tried helping homeless people get on their feet, and the problem is that they keep going back to the street over and over. It's the world they know, it's where their friends are, and it's a place- a culture- where they, as individuals, have a unique and special identity... something they will lose if they leave the homeless subculture and rejoin mainstream society, where they are anonymous and often feel isolated and as if there is nobody who understands them or who they can relate to.

Very, very true and well-stated.

[greggd]

I was at the gas station a few months ago and a guy approaches me and says he is trying to get back to San Diego but ran out of gas....I declined.

About 1 minute later, a woman approaches me and says she is from Santa Barbara and needs gas money to return home... I declined and laughed to myself.

The people who do this have said the same lines 1,000s of times. They get good at it.

This station is super convenient for me, so for the next few months, I took my receipts from the pump, logged onto chevron's customer survey site and complained about the begging. It was a big and ongoing problem at this station.

Now there are no more "sad stories" at that station. It is once again a place where you can buy gas without being hassled for money.

[roosevelt]

I visited Pasadena back in 1990. I was approached by no fewer than 4 different bums on the way in, and again on the way out. I don't know how the restaurant managed to stay open. I did note that all the places I used to go to in Pasadena had closed. What kind of laws do we have that makes it legal for the homeless to ruin your business?

[greggd]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

I visited Pasadena back in 1990. I was approached by no fewer than 4 different bums on the way in, and again on the way out. I don't know how the restaurant managed to stay open. I did note that all the places I used to go to in Pasadena had closed. What kind of laws do we have that makes it legal for the homeless to ruin your business?

It's a shame this happens. The cause of these problems stem from the people that actually give money to homeless, not the homeless themselves.

I'll bet most people that give money to the homeless do not live in the same neighborhood where the welfare takes place.