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He agreed and gave me an incredible story of being in the construction industry and making good money during the boom years but now just can not find a job because most of the good jobs are taken by illegal aliens (undocumented for the PC crowd). He told me a long story about how he applies everywhere but just can not find work.
I gave him $20 for his story and wished him luck. My wife thinks I am crazy for attempting a friendly relationship with the street beggars. How about you?
I don't buy his excuse. If he really had decent construction skills, there are construction jobs for legitimate worker at a real construction firm. And what about relocating to an area where there is more work? Or putting up a free ad on craigslist doing handyman work and repairs for cash. No way would I give someone like that $20 for telling a good story. Why not instead hire him to do work around your house or hook him up with one of your friends or co-workers to do some side work? And what happened to his family and friends? Why aren't they helping him out?
But no, I don't talk to panhandlers. Giving them $1 or $20 isn't going to improve their lives in the long run. Baltimore has a big problem with beggers. I walked away from a woman with a baby carriage once. She should start off by giving up her baby for adoption, then getting birth control.
I do not stereotype people just because they may be down on their luck. Happens to quite a few, and it will me worst soon. I don't have the fear of others that the MSM tries to brainwash us into believing.
I once had a homeless guy who was working day labor come to my place and he managed the offloading of 4 tractor trailers so well that I put him on full time. He now is the store manager.
I have noticed a ever increasing number of seemingly normal looking and acting people approach me on the street asking for money. I think much of it has to do with the economy and the lack of social programs available to many people who do not have children or wage credits for unemployment insurance.
I am always a sucker for hard luck stories and will talk to people who seem to be sincere and really down on their luck. If they seem dangerous or crazy I will move on quickly.
Recently though I was walking down the street and a man approached me who appeared like he was a regular guy. He asked if I had a few extra bucks to help him eat. I told him that I was interested in what he had to say and would pay him even more if he could give me a convincing story on why he needed to beg for his money, instead of get cash the old fashioned way- work.
He agreed and gave me an incredible story of being in the construction industry and making good money during the boom years but now just can not find a job because most of the good jobs are taken by illegal aliens (undocumented for the PC crowd). He told me a long story about how he applies everywhere but just can not find work.
I gave him $20 for his story and wished him luck. My wife thinks I am crazy for attempting a friendly relationship with the street beggars. How about you?
That was very nice of you.
I wish I could have done the same yesterday. Unfortunately, the location I was in was not one I felt I could stop in. There was an older couple begging on a street corner. If I hadn't been alone, I think I would have stopped. It's sad that fear often prevents us from doing what we think is right.
If I felt safe, I would strike up a conversation. The more "normal" looking the person, the more likely I would have (the couple yesterday likely had some issues that led them to where they were).
God bless you and the gentleman you helped.
And when people tell you you shouldn't give a beggar money, just tell them that you are not responsible for what he does with the money but rather what you did with it. You did good.
I would say be careful, some really are genuine down on their luck, decent people but you do have lots of exceptions and gotta be careful.. I once gave a homeless person my last 5 bucks and he probably spent it on booze anyway but heck..at the time it seemed the right thing to do. It's your money, you do what you see fit.
You know there are soupkitchens in most bigger towns that serve hot meals every day and help with basic needs of homeless. So there are resources for those who want to help themselves.
Would you strike up a conversation with a homeless beggar?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Weekend Traveler
I have noticed a ever increasing number of seemingly normal looking and acting people approach me on the street asking for money.
I have a friend who worked for years at a mission to help street people. Her advice: (applies around here) NEVER give the panhandlers anything. You're just being an enabler for their addictions and self destructive behavior.
She took me on a tour of everything they and other missions had for them. Night time shelter for those who will not show up too drunk or stoned, food at a number of places, all day long and they know the timetable well. Plenty of donated clothes and places to drop in. Here, companies are not allowed to demolish old warehouses until spring so that there is plenty of space to shelter them in the winter. There is no reason they need your spare change. Want it is a different thing.
They are adept at other scams. For a while, they were always needing "a bus ticket to get to work". Transit stopped that by only giving them credit, so suddenly they were selling books of "tickets they don't need" at a discount!
They don't have lots of bars and liquor stores, in this part of town, for no reason. One place averaged over 3 police calls - 364 days a year - before it was recently closed. This part of town is also the center of the drug trade.
In another case, a friend has a brother with mental issues requiring medication - drugs that can keep him highly functional. He got him on a form of welfare for the handicapped and let him move in, rent free until he could get well and back on his feet. To make him responsible, he wanted him to share some of the other expenses but his brother would rather drink and do drugs. This prevented his recovery and interfered with the medication.
It was a race every month to see who got the welfare check first and usually the dysfunctional brother did. He would then blow the entire amount on a binge. Initially he panhandled to get through the rest of the month but eventually started to steal from his brother, who then kicked him out.
If the economy gets worse, we may again see the beggars of the 1930s - good men down on their luck - but the generosity of the people who were raised in that era has unfortunately created today's problem. In the late 60s, my younger brother was irresponsible and on a trip down town, would blow all his money for the bus fare needed to return home. (15 cents) At the time to return, he'd always make a killing pan handling - one nice lady gave him $5 (4 times the minimum wage) and a couple of years later, there was a TV news show on how these cute young panhandlers were bringing in $200 a week, a middle class lifestyle then.
With no need to work, they drank a lot and are now the old ones you see, still needing spare change.
Donate instead to the charities. They can sometimes rehabilitate the ones who want to or just need a helping hand.
After I found out that the Red Cross "op expenses" are about 90% of their budget and that the Palestine charity funds moneys were found on Arafat's personal accounts totalling some $2.5G, I cut my donations to mere nada. The richest folks in the world, once they retire, they always start a "fund" (Gates, Gorbachev). Charity is profitable business driven by humans vanity - virtually endless resource.
i was in town yesterday and a homeless person asked me for a bottle of juice i was holding my hand.
i thought "why not? it's not as if i can't get another bottle" and gave it to him.
So that was my good deed for yesterday.
Years ago, a homeless person outside of a burger place asked my boyfriend for some spare change for food. Instead, he offered the man one of his burgers, the beggar tossed it on the ground in disgust. My boyfriend just walked away.
The OP's beggar's story that he lost his job due to illegal immigrant/alien labor sounds fishy to me because it wa a common complaint of construction workers and was in the news during this last presidential election run. So my gut feeling tells me that this beggar's only ripped off some newstory headline. If that beggar were truly a real construction worker, he's handy enough to get many other jobs. And any job is better than being a bum with no job at all. He could also be a building maintenance man. If he does it for an apartment building, he could even get a free or cheap apartment out of it.
If I do,I would buy him food,I will not give him money. Whether he likes it or not,I will walk him to the nearest food place and buy him something.
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Would you strike up a conversation with a homeless beggar?
