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Sometimes I'll give them a dollar or two, but not usually and never more than that.
Some of them may just use the money for alcohol or drugs anyway.
Buy them a sandwich or donate your time and/or money to charities, but don't give to panhandlers, people. You could be hurting them more than helping them.
There's a guy who sits outside my bank everyday selling 'Streetwise'. Not sure if he's homeless of not, but that's not the point.
Anyway, I don't think I've ever given him any money or bought a Steetwise, but once in a great while, I might give a guy panhandling at an intersection some change. Pretty rarely though.
Sometimes I'm conflicted because even though I have a strong Catholic faith, I'm very unempathetic towards these people. But then again, if I gave $1 to every bum I came across, I'd be right there with them.....
Location: Everybody is going to hurt you, you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for-B Marley
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I saw something on tv recently about the new face of poverty. It was upper middle class families ending up on the streets and living in their cars due to job losses and the recent bank crap. These people weren't lazy.
There are many that refuse to go to shelters that have mostly drug dependence issues.
IMO you do not hand them money, hand them snacks of foods to be of help and to keep them free of drugs.
I have had some say they wanted food, so I went into the store, got some and had them throw it down and other such outrageous behavior.
It is the abuse of recreational drugs.
Guess they are all libertarians.
Location: Democratic Peoples Republic of Redneckistan
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Do you give money to panhandlers?
Yes,on occasion I do....but the problem is if you give money to one it becomes the night of the living dead and they all chase you like a pack of zombies sometimes.
200 dollars a month for food, 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, 31 days a month.
Thats less then 7 dollars a day. That isn't exactly "living".
Most people on food stamps or public food assistance are working, turning a paycheck, and just trying to make ends meet. The general consensus between the citizens of these United States is that if you are working, you shouldn't be hungry.
Not only do they get 200 bucks a month with a food card but you can bet they know all the charities in town. In the city I grew up in they require a panhandler license, notice what the {D} mayor said :
Quote:
"Visitors all too often refer to people who panhandle as ‘homeless,’ "said the mayor. "Our research shows that agencies in Akron charged with providing temporary and transitional shelter do a good job of meeting the needs of the truly homeless. Panhandling, on the other hand, has become a business for some people, and like any other business it requires regulation to protect everyone."
"Many people are genuinely concerned about the homeless and hungry," said the mayor, "and we want to encourage donations to groups that serve the poorest of our residents who truly need assistance in obtaining food and shelter. We want people to know that it’s better to give to these organizations and say "no" to the hard-luck stories that in most instances probably are not true."
I noticed when visiting { I got out of that cess pool} that for 3 years I see the same people bumming on the off ramps. The mayor is right do not give them sheet, donate to the charities.
Sometimes yes, often no. Depends upon what spontaneous vibe I am picking up from them. Maybe it really is "being led of the Spirit" to do so without hesitation, and other times I have to stop and think about it, and may or may not. I think at those times I'm doubting myself and maybe have given when I should not have.
I will never willingly buy someone's next "fix" so to speak.
Because of hawaii's mild climate there are a large number of homeless in-state. Hubby and I once were driving near Pearl Harbor Home Store and at a red light we encountered a man with a cardboard sign. He had a very nice haircut but was geniunely in dirty clothes, and even his face didn't look totally clean. However, sitting there I was able to get eye-contact with him and it was just like looking into a friend's eyes.
Hubby and I were quiet and drove from the light. I quietly said, "that bothered me. He didn't seem like a typical homeless" or words close to that. Hubby said, "it did me, too and no, he didn't" and started turning so that we could loop back and get in that line again, and as fast as we could we stopped by the guy again, and gave him a twenty, and maybe a five. I then thought of bible saying? somewhere saying that sometimes we are in the company of "angels, unaware." I don't know but we are both confident that we were right to give the money that moment, to say the least.
Location: Everybody is going to hurt you, you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for-B Marley
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunnysee
Sometimes yes, often no. Depends upon what spontaneous vibe I am picking up from them. Maybe it really is "being led of the Spirit" to do so without hesitation, and other times I have to stop and think about it, and may or may not. I think at those times I'm doubting myself and maybe have given when I should not have.
I will never willingly buy someone's next "fix" so to speak.
Because of hawaii's mild climate there are a large number of homeless in-state. Hubby and I once were driving near Pearl Harbor Home Store and at a red light we encountered a man with a cardboard sign. He had a very nice haircut but was geniunely in dirty clothes, and even his face didn't look totally clean. However, sitting there I was able to get eye-contact with him and it was just like looking into a friend's eyes.
Hubby and I were quiet and drove from the light. I quietly said, "that bothered me. He didn't seem like a typical homeless" or words close to that. Hubby said, "it did me, too and no, he didn't" and started turning so that we could loop back and get in that line again, and as fast as we could we stopped by the guy again, and gave him a twenty, and maybe a five. I then thought of bible saying? somewhere saying that sometimes we are in the company of "angels, unaware." I don't know but we are both confident that we were right to give the money that moment, to say the least.
I know exactly what you mean, I think of it too, '....entertaining angels, unawares...'
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