Do you give to beggars?

[TipsyTraveler]

For context, here's a link to a study that looked into the prevalence of addiction among homeless populations:

http://www.michaelshouse.com/drug-abuse/study-homelessness-addiction/

"It is believed that about 38% of homeless people abuse alcohol while 26% regularly use other drugs."

 

[Sepo]

An adult, usually a woman, will work with a child. The child is usually dressed shabbily is sent into a cafe or restaurant and goes table to table asking people to sponsor them for a school fundraising event. This is totally illegal and the adult knows this. The c

Here, I’ve seen one with a pretend broken down car with kids inside on a slow downtown on-ramp. The “parent” essentially blocks the ramp and insists on money only, no other assistance. Same car a few times that month. Once a city police car short-blasted his siren from several cars back and the guy jumped in and drove off.

 

[L&Lfan]

Nope, and I don't feel one bit guilty. I support many charities that help the poor (and I pay taxes that go to entitlements). But to give money to some person begging on a street corner? Hell, no!

 

[CdnCarrie]

Nope, and I don't feel one bit guilty. I support many charities that help the poor (and I pay taxes that go to entitlements). But to give money to some person begging on a street corner? Hell, no!

This too. I do pay my share of property, income, etc taxes. That pays for all sorts of social assistance benefits plus I give to charity. I'm not going to feel guilty for not giving cash to a random dude that asks. I have a family I need to support too.

 

[Colleen27]

I do. I know all the arguments against it, but the bottom line is that the amount of money I'd give - a bit of change or maybe a single if I have one in my pocket (I'm not trusting enough to whip out my wallet!) - doesn't matter to me but could matter a great deal to someone else. We have a shiny new stadium here that is in what used to be a desperately poor area, and I suspect that some of those begging outside are the same folks that were squatting in abandoned buildings and staying in the shelters before the neighborhood started to re-develop - a neighborhood where a couple of my college friends and I used to give away food at the end of every semester when we had credits leftover on our meal plans to people who were happy to have take-out burgers and deli sandwiches from the campus food court.

ETA: I wouldn't give to some of the aggressive beggars that have been described on this thread! Situational factors and gut feeling certainly play into it. But I'll admit that my experiences with a loved one with mental illness have given me something of a soft spot for the homeless. I understand that many of them *could* avail themselves of resources to get them off the street, but I also understand how hard it is to get someone who is in and out of touch with reality to comply with the requirements of those resources. So given the choice between cynicism and compassion, I choose compassion.

 

[LSUmiss]

For context, here's a link to a study that looked into the prevalence of addiction among homeless populations:

http://www.michaelshouse.com/drug-abuse/study-homelessness-addiction/

"It is believed that about 38% of homeless people abuse alcohol while 26% regularly use other drugs."

Around here it’s known that many of the scammers aren’t homeless. I also think there are addicts that beg who aren’t actually homeless.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I don't see any homeless people in my little town, but when I lived in Philly and worked in Center City they were everywhere. The mayor at the time said, give to a local homeless charity of your choice, please don't give them money. So, I had a guy come up to me once and ask for money. I said to him, "I can't give you money, but if you're hungry I'll buy you something to eat from one of the carts." So, he spits on the ground in front of me and says, "Nah man %*#@ you," and walks away. It was pretty discouraging. I give to Cathedral Kitchen in Camden, NJ now.

 

[holden]

I don't see any homeless people in my little town, but when I lived in Philly and worked in Center City they were everywhere. The mayor at the time said, give to a local homeless charity of your choice, please don't give them money. So, I had a guy come up to me once and ask for money. I said to him, "I can't give you money, but if you're hungry I'll buy you something to eat from one of the carts." So, he spits on the ground in front of me and says, "Nah man %*#@ you," and walks away. It was pretty discouraging. I give to Cathedral Kitchen in Camden, NJ now.

I worked in Philly for years and had the same exact kind of experiences. I never give homeless people money. I've explained to my children why.