RE: Do You give to beggars?
We cant assume that everyone who asks for money is a drug user or even a drinker and thats what the money will go on.
Absolutly Crystaltherapy..also remember that even drug addicts and alcholics need to eat...everyone is able to make mistakes, even if that mistake leads to an addiction, ...I've never been addicted to drugs but I am addicted to ciggerettes (9 days not smoking now though:D) & I understand a little how difficult it is beating addiction...in some ways I can see how drug addiction can leave people homeless...and visa versa, how homelessness can lead to drug addiction or alcholism...but that really doesn't mean I'm saying that all homeless people are addicts...I've known plenty who weren't. I just don't feel it's my place to judge them for it or deny them loose change if I have it, I know nothing about them personally or what has led them to the life that they exsist in....although I do also understand why people can feel intimidated by beggers, espically if in a quiet area
It's great to give to a charity that can help 'any' worth while course...but it's a shame that a lot of us have little faith in charities, like already mentioned, those charities who send out pens, stickers ect... One charity that I've always had respect for when it comes to homeless issues is the salvation army...it may all be very different now but they used to hand out sleeping bags to people sleeping rough & always did the soup run. I never hesitate giving to them...although that said..I haven;t seen a salvation army person about for yonks[&:]
Love
Amy
xxx
RE: Do You give to beggars?
There are chancers in this life, I've met plenty of them, and most of them havent been homeless.
The only point that I was making is that if someone asks me for 20p or 50p I will give them it, what they do with it when I am gone is up to them. Im not going to ask them to come to a sandwich shop with me while I buy them something just so that I can go home knowing that they have actually done with my money what they said they would.
I think for people who are begging and by that people who arent just on the make, it must be hard enough sometimes to ask for money without someone like me saying that they had better spend it on the exact thing that they asked for.
I wouldnt also put my safety at risk by getting into a debate about that issue or arguing over the finer points of sandwich versus no sandwich, I would rather just give them the coppers and move on.
Everyone is different, what one person wants to do, someone else wont. As an alcohol and drug worker I am very aware of the damage drugs do in our society, but its not just homeless people who use substances, many people use drugs recreationally and very frequently, people in full time employment as well, and they make no bones about it. I have known people in my time who use drugs morning noon and night and Im inadvertently paying for that through my taxes as they have been claiming benefits and not working and choosing to spend their disposable income on illegal substances.
Theres not a lot I can do about that. I wouldnt assume that every person who begs even wants to use drugs or drinks, whats comfortable for me, wont be comfortable for the next person and thats down to choice in the end.
RE: Do You give to beggars?
confusing - i dont know if i did do the right thing by giving in that one moment....
Hi ada, it think you did the right thing, & it was lovely of you to give him a banana...the experiece may of stuck with him as much as its stuck with you, he may of felt bad about his reaction afterwards...you never know, the whole thing may of changed something within him in a positive way...you did what you felt was right 😉
Love
Amy
xx
RE: Do You give to beggars?
Thank you amy....
RE: Do You give to beggars?
In my days as a Youth Worker I also used to counsel a fair number of homeless young people. As to whether I give to beggars.................personally I don't give actual money; I prefer to go and buy them some sandwiches or a cup of tea.
RE: Do You give to beggars?
I notice there is not many comments about conversations with the beggars/homeless?.
Next time you see one start chatting to them and see what that brings?.
That way you may learn why they are there.
What bugs me is when people walk straight past them without even an eye contact, as if they are not there!.
I remember once seeing a beggar and his dog. I went off to a local pet shop nearby and went back to give his dog a chewy. The chap asks 'What about me' in such a pityful way. So off I went and baught him a hot takeaway, he was so grateful and I mean very grateful.
RE: Do You give to beggars?
Ramadani,
I agree, I also don't know what to do about giving anymore..
How horrid, handing you back the food you gave, I mean really.
I now simply avoid eye contact and it works, my mood seems to tell them not to approach me..
all the best..
shaz
xxxx
RE: Do You give to beggars?
Well, there are ways to give in this life without having to give out money or food on the streets.
Give to charity shops, buy from charity shops, volunteer your time at a shelter especially at Xmas or New Year.
I speak to young people every day who are "homeless", and have done for 12 years now, its my job to work with them, to me they are people first and without secure accommodation second.
Idont tend to speak to people who ask me for change simply due to logistics, if someone is sitting in a shop doorway in the middle of a busy street with people walking up and down to stand and chat isnt practical. Also sometimes people approach you directly so when someone walks up to me to ask me for 20p for a cup of tea, in most cases they dont want to stand and talk to me, they want to take the money and move on.
As for the person who gave you back a banana, I think Amys point was very good. I would also like to say, have there not been times in this life when we have all acted a little out of sorts, acted as if we werent grateful for something someone gave us, took things for granted?
I know I have. Its human nature, so really, if we are thinking just because someone is begging, they are going to be grateful for any single thing we offer them, that might not be the case.
I dont believe that anyone in this life wants to spend their days or end their days begging in all weathers.
Im not responsible for the system or the red tape that can see someone fall through every safety net going, but I can have a bit of compassion for a fellow human being who has fallen on hard times.
Look at many of the big sports stars, look at Merson, Gascgoine, Adams, loads of footballers end up suffering from addictions or at least very risky drinking or drug taking.
Some of them manage to conquer their demons and turn their life around, some dont. The thing is, no matter where someone has been they say that we are all potentially 3 months away from becoming homeless.
Lose your job suddenly and the gap between leaving and finding another one, lets say it was 6 months, how many of us have that disposable income to see us through?
I dont and its not due to being frivilous with money, its to do with a big chunk of my wages paying off a student debt.
And they are talking about bringing in measures that anyone with credit card debts of £3000 or less, if they default, you can have your home repossessed.
Britain is a nation of debtors, theres trillions of pounds put on credit cards each year. Its so easy to get.
We can all say, dont drink, dont smoke, dont gamble, dont lose your job, dont have a nervous breakdown, dont have mental health issues, but the thing is people do and they will do long after I'm gone.
RE: Do You give to beggars?
At 17 I & mynow wifewere homeless, there's no need to go into the reasons why, but we were without roof, bed or warmth.
I used to break into basements, get into the boiler room of blocksof flats to bed down or sleep at the airport and we'd wash in the toilets in the morning. Wandering about all day in the same clothes, with no money in your pocket and feeling utterly miserable just waiting till it got dark enoughto be able to go about huntingdown the nextplace you'd find to sleep was the only thing on the agenda.
A few years down the line & I now own my own house and my own business... but I needed some help along the way, however litttle, i did need somebody to give a s**t before i could make it better.
Years later I was once waiting to see a film and started chatting to a homeless guy (who wasn't begging btw) sitting on the bench outside the park opposite. he was in his 50's used to be a GP, he lost his wife and later as he'd taken to drink he'd lost his home... his childrenfound that he marred their perceptions of themselves in Thatcher's'get it all for yerself' era - and now as he said - "I just want to die son"[&o]
& So, to a much brighter note peeps... has anybody or did anybody follow what was going on in Paris with their red tents?
[link= http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2125412.ece ] http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2125412.ece [/link]
I hear now even romances have struck up between the 'cleaned-up'homeless and thewell-offParisians once engaged in dialogue[sm=love-smiley-009.gif]
[link= http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2125412.ece ][/link]
RE: Do You give to beggars?
Interesting, but short term promises dont lead to long term solutions, deprivation and poverty are the root cause of homelessness, we need to sort that out, in 10 years time on this forum sorry to say we could probably be having an identical conversation.
RE: Do You give to beggars?
On the streets they have their own morals and language , It was , I'm affraid "Them and Us ". I won't go into to many details but "The Authourities" deemed it upon themselves to give me sheltered accomodation.....There's me living on my wits for years, and never once asked for help.....and when I did I was sheltered.......WEEEELLLLL......So they gave me a flat................. no money no furniture no transport..... in a block consisting of villains....
I begged....I pleaded....Got on my knee's.....all I got was....... "You should think yourself lucky"
When the police were called because I was chopping up the flat with a great big axe . I was to say the least ****** off .
They informed me I wasn't allowed to do that to council accomodation. I just reitterated the fact that I was lucky enough to be the tenant...... I threw them the keys and went back on the road.
The moral of the story is beggers might be down on their luck , but they still have feelings.
Brightest Blessings
Oakapple
RE: Do You give to beggars?
Well, I can see your point but I live in a block of flats in a hard to let area and its no fun but Ive been there 10 years and dont have much option.
Councils put people who have been evicted together, they create areas where no one wants to live, half of my scheme is currently being bulldozed and guess what, the council have been given millions to upgrade the area.
If I were more cynical I would suggest that councils know what they are doing when they run an area down and then ask for grants to build it back up again, by that time no one wants to live there.
My flat is great, but the condition of the block where I live compared to when I moved in is like night and day and the council couldnt care less.
Doesnt stop them taking out a 2 page spread in the local press going on about how fabulous life will be when the new homes are built.
Im afraid that sometimes if housing officers dont have to live in schemes like mine, they really couldnt care less about what its like to live there.
RE: Do You give to beggars?
Good on you. conspiritualist for making good:).
Thats my point, we dont know why these poeple do what they do or why. I see homeless and beggars as folks with 'issues' that I dont know of, so cannot ignore them.
I cant afford to give half the time, but I do try to give them a hot meal and so far I have never had any bad replies from them. Just gratitude.
I seem to sympathise with waifs and strays and that includes animals as well!!:).
There is not enough hostels and help for these folks so the last thing they need is ignorance about their plight.
RE: Do You give to beggars?
Do I give to beggars? Yes.
This despite the fact that the police here have asked the public to no longer give beggars/homeless people handouts; they said it was simply adding to the growing drug problem. I find a lot of rules gov't officials make to be rather grey-area at best...last year the gov't implemented a program whereby they were going around handing the homeless empty needles in the hopes it would stop the spread of AIDS and other diseases through shared needles. The program cost the city a fortune, and they finally discontinued it after discovering that the needles which were being handed out (at taxpayers' expense) were just as quickly being confiscated by the police, who had no idea they'd originated from the city in the first place. 😮
I decided long ago to give to anyone who was asking for help...even though funds have been tight with me in the past, my situation certainly couldn't compare with someone begging on a streetcorner. I had a warm house to go home to at night, a hot meal 3 times a day, all the amenities...yet many of these people call a cardboard box, in the middle of a Canadian winter, home.
How could I not give something?