just wondering

Hello my name's April, I live in England and as this is the first post I have made I'm a little nervous about how you will reply.

I am a student in a local sixth form college but that is not really why I'm posting this comment, it's because I've resently become interested in homelessness. Not because I'm thinking about running away or anything like that, but because of a program I watched on the BBC. Where I learned how easy it was for people to become homeless (and to be told they made themselves intentionally homeless) I was quite shocked. So I wanted to find out more and see how I could help, I haven't really found out that much more yet and I don't yet really know how I can help out whilst I'm still in full time education. (I suppose just by spreading knowledge and making people aware of homelessness)

Sorry thats not really what I wanted say (sorry I went off on a tangent) well umm, I don't really know how to ask this!

Is it helpfull to give a homeless person I see on the street money?

Its just my mum and many other people I know say that it isn't helpful and that they will just go out and spend it on drugs, alcohol or gambling. Also when we go to London and we see people sleeping on street coners etc. I've been told that they are there by choice. Why would anyone put themselves there by choice?! But then I wonder maybe lifes better for them on the streets so they could get away from physical and sexual abuse etc. But then after I wonder that I wonder why don't these people just call: Child line, NSPCC or Shelterline. Then I think maybe they don't know about these help lines, so should I go up to them and tell them about these organisations that help out. But thne what if they have tried to get help but there just isn't enough help to go around!

Hopefully you understand what I'm asking, if you don't just ask and I'll ask again in a different way!

I also would like to know if its helpful to give a homeless person money. My mom says the same as yours and that it would be better to buy them something to eat.
My mom also says that it isn't safe to take out your wallet on the street in case someone comes and mugs you while its out.

And welcome to the forum:)

My mom also says that it isn't safe to take out your wallet on the street in case someone comes and mugs you while its out.

I don't think I would like to live where you live sounds scary!!:(

Thank for the welcome :) , its good to meet you:D !

(Sorry, for all the spelling mistakes in the message before!)

Its not too scary here in Montreal, Canada (but it does depend on who you are). Just regular street precautions so nothing bad will happen. I'm assuming it would be safer to take out change from your pocket instead of taking out a whole wallet.

yes it is a good idea, anywhere really

Well, that's the finer details about how to produce the money dealt with... :D

Welcome to the forums, Swimmer. :)

Whether or not to give money to homeless people who ask for it is a personal choice. Your mother is looking at it from a maternal sort of way - that is, from the point of view of somebody who feels she has to care for and direct people's actions. But homeless people are not children. If you choose to be generous and give, is it your business how they choose to spend the money? As for giving homeless people food, well, some people find that quite offensive, because the food is chosen for them, and because the giving of food in place of money implies that the person is irresponsible.

When I try to imagine myself in that situation, I always think that I would probably refuse the food, just because I would feel so offended...and the people would say "see, she wants drugs..." It's a no-win situation for people who need to get some money this way. The things people say don't make a lot of sense if you really think about it, because how much money would you give? And how much alcohol or drugs could they get for that?

If you read some of the threads here, you will quickly learn that your worst nightmares are daily life for some people. You will begin to appreciate how incredibly lucky you are. So in making your decision about whether or not to give, put yourself in the position of a young woman on the streets. Maybe she doesn't want your mother to buy her a hamburger. Maybe that's not the kind of food she feels like. Or maybe she wants some makeup and a mirror, so she can feel a little more normal - or a packet of tampons.

Wouldn't you want money to buy these things? Is it wrong for a homeless person to want cigarettes and alcohol? Don't many other people in society use these things? Why do homeless people need to feel guilty if they do so? I can only speak for myself, and most of the time, I don't have enough money to consider giving any away, but my feeling is that once I give somebody money, it's theirs, and what they choose to spend it on is their call. I'd feel like a bit of a control freak if I tried to direct that.

These are my opinions only, but it's a question worth thinking about.

A warm welcome to you swimmer2 ....

I'm in London and I live on the streets ... you have raised some interesting albeit common questions in your post.

I will try and find some order to answer some of those queries.

Firstly, no one can say that homeless street people are intentionally homeless, not as a generalisation anyway. It might well be true in some cases but homeless people are just a cross section of society and to 'stereotype' people in this manner is just an expression of someones ignorance on the subject.

The expression ....' homeless people ' conjurs up a very negative image in peoples minds. If we describe homelessness in a different way such as ..... people without homes .... for example, would you agree it is a much more positive discription of who we are..?

It is a common myth to think that all of the homeless are either:
Alcoholics, junkies, mentally ill, common thieves or lazy layabouts ... some are some of these things, some are a combination of these things, some are none of these things.

Could we fairly say that those negative descriptions of the homeless are aslo applicable to society at large ? or are they only applicable to those of us without homes .. ?

I am writting this not just for your understanding but for others that will view this site ... If you are serious about the plight of the homeless people within our societies, then you for your part can remember these words when the opportunity arises and help me, and others like me to dispel the many myths about homelessness ... and these forums to which you have just joined is the best place that I know of to further your understanding of the subject.

Giving to beggers is of personal choice, I do not beg and have never done so, but be aware there are many angles to this question and it's answers, for instance, if a person is begging to finance an addiction ... maybe drugs ... then the money that you give will find it's way up the line to the drug barrons and encourage them to continue with their peddling of death. Not just for now, but for the generations coming up behind.
Most beggers that you encounter ( more so at the moment being Christmas ) are not homeless ... they only act the part.

I have often been given money by people, and I don't like taking it, but this is my only source of income, I've never asked for money ... and when I am given some I explain to the person giving it that the money will buy me food. which is true.

On the subject of giving to beggars ... some people maintain that once they hand over the money to a beggar .. the money is his / hers to do what they please with. It must be a personal choice.

Finally .... helplines are of no use to homeless people .. a recent survey found over 300 people sleeping out nightly in central London ... on a average night there would be less than 10 hostel beds available because of demand, and for those that do sleep out .. it is preferable to going into hostels.

For every 'high profile' homeless person you see, there will be many more homeless people that you won't see, (the hidden, or invicible homeless) because they are clean and tidy, well behaved and blend in with the public on the streets because of their low profile ... The aggressive dirty homeless guy that we are all accustomed to is not a fair representation of the homelesss population, but he / she is a part of it.

I trust that this information is of some benefit to you.

Tom.

Considering beggin isn't all that much fun I'd say that people who do it (begging) generally have problems that don't allow them to find other means of getting money/whatever. Also don't blend beggers with homeless people too much. People who really live on the streets for a while generally have a routine that saves them from actually having to beg.

Giving food is downright offensive. It's exactly the same like saying "you're in this situation because you can't handle money". It's also taking a right from someone, being to spend money the way they want.
Of course in many cases people will take the food nontheless.I can imagine the loss of dignity because someone buys you food is about the same (or actually worse possibly) than begging alltogether.

Also, people who beg to buy drugs/alcohol (which is pretty weird I think) will probably get the money one way or the other. Priorities are twisted in that case. So in my eyes giving mone to them is still excusable. You might save someones wallet to put it bluntly.

Just my two cents.

I think it's helpful to give a homeless person money, but not helpful enough. It comes down to the old Lao Tzu saying, if you gave a man a fish you feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. The fact is a little money can't end homeless for one person or many. Even if you gave a homeless person 100 bucks, they couldn't get out of homelessness or poverty. These people need the opportunity to help themselves, the education to be self-reliant, and employment.

Giving a homeless person a little money will buy him a meal or a drink, but he'll still be homeless tomorrow.

Very true. But I don't see how a single person can take that kidn of responsability. That's something a government should do, teaching people how to fish.

Learning how to fish (a lengthy process) is rather difficult when you're hungry. :D

Hi swimmer, and welcome.

On one on one giving, that's something to be determined by the person giving. While I and my family were homeless, I never panhandled and concentrated on keeping my wife and kids as safe a distance from those that did.

I can honestly say that I have NEVER seen another family experiencing homelessness panhandle either in my pressence. At the same time, I kept my family near areas where we could get help...there are a number of sightings in the outer areas of my city that photos come up of people doing this...and in all honesty I won't judge them.

On maybe four occasions while my wife and I were waiting with our children outside a food line, or walking with our items in a shopping cart in the heat of Florida, there have been individuals who DID charitably give to me. Not one of those times did I refuse, and it was at a time when we were out of funds for fluids, food, or hygiene items. It was a godsend in those few times, and I accept it as that.

If you want to give, I'd give something I know someone needs. Food. A thing such as clothing or a backpack. However in the case of money, figure out if it'll be well managed. Even though it was only four times, one of the factors of why many people chose to help my family in different ways, was in what they saw in my kids at the time. The below picture is of my daughter Nancy, taken when we had been 3 months into almost a 3 year homeless treck we're finally out of.
http://www.homelessinjax.com/images/girl32a.jpg
When people saw my kids and considered to give charitably, they knew they were getting a good investment.

I will say that parents experiencing homelessness do know better what they're kids need than anyone else. If someone wants to donate food for a homeless family, sometimes strict diet due to medical or religious needs can put a damper on something well meant. To avoid this, a person could always give a gift card to a local grocery store chain. Most grocers don't allow tobacco, alcohol, or lottery tickets, so they'd know it was used for needs.

Thank you very much to everyone who has replied.

This might sound daft but I never really thought, before reading these replies, that giving food could be seen as offensive, but ofcourse it is. I wouldn't want people thinking that I was so irresponsibly with money that I needed to have my food brought for me!

A friend's mum once said to me: "I was walking along a street eating a burger and went past someone sleeping in a sleeping bag on the street. I then felt so bad I woke him up and gave my burger." My friend thought her mum was so nice and kind. But now thinking back the man who was asleep would have been humliated, embarrased and annoyed. He could have been a vegetarian and most certainly wouldn't have wanted a half eated burger! I can't believe how ignorant and offensive my friends mum was!

I have another question: Busking (playing music for money) is this something that homeless people do? I know that a group of girls from college were busking in Winchester. They weren't pretending to be homeless as such, but they were begging for money, kind of.

Whilst walking around different towns doing shopping (this may sound silly) but I've opened my eyes and I've seen what you mean by low profile homeless. There have been some people begging for money but I also saw people; families and couples who mix in with the community and don't bring attention to themselves.

Thank you everyone again for the replies so far.
swimmer2

Hello again swimmer2 ....

Firstly .. a happy new year to you.

I know many people that beg ... I also know that genuine street people (those of us that actually sleep out at night) do not beg ... I could name at least fifty without having to think to hard about it that are 'genuine street homeless' and would, as you rightly say, not come over as obviously homeless.

Many beggers that you see are either junkies, or alcoholics that need to find money everyday to finance their dependancies.
Most of these have been homeless and have been given accommodation by one of the various homeless organisations that are set up to get people off of the streets.
I am fully aware of the fact that giving people a set of keys to their own front door do's not give them a home ... It gives them accommodation, but a home is something different. My first priority is to the street people ... those that sleepout at night.

The comments about giving food or money to beggars have already been aired.
As for buskers ... if and when you come to London visit Covent garden, you will see a variety of buskers perform here.
Many of these musicians are music students ... they are very entertaining and much loved by the tourists ... I have known some street homeless individuals from time to time that sell their talents to the public, street artists , musicians, and entertainers in general ... but the local authorities do not tolerate this sort of activity .. a street 'licence' is usually required or the police will move them on.

Dear all,
I spoke to an ex-homeless man yesterday. He has had to beg on the streets before, however, he said that when you give a beggar some money for a cup of tea, it may warm his stomach for a couple of hours, however, instead of giving beggars change, we should give it to a service provider. These people are trained in how to spend money on things that are actually important, and they can take the money for a cup of tea and buy a whole packet of tea bags, to give to numerous people, or buy vital things like a razor, or some string so that they can sew the holes in the jacket together and go to an interview.

I agreed with him, however last week a beggar asked me to buy a handmade birthday card from her. I gave her some money, she gave me the card and then I noticed that the card had a price tag on it, and was wrapped up and had obviously come from a shop. In a way, I resent the fact that she probably stole the card and I had bought it off her, but I would prefer this method of making money to other ways of making money illegally. It is such a hard situation and I think that whatever you think is the right thing to do at the time is the best solution. Trust your instincts. We all want to help in some way, so if giving someone some change for a cup of tea can make them happy, even if just for a couple of hours, to me, that is worth every single penny.
Vanessa :)

Hi Vanessa,


I think that anyone that wants to give to a beggar is entittled to do just that, it has got to be down to the individual that is giving and the person that is receiving ... essentially it is no one elses bussiness.

A point that I made on this thread is that people should be aware that giving money to beggers might be financing their drug / alcohol dependentcies. Indeed if the beggar is a junkie .. the money that you give ends up in the hands of drug barrons thus encourageing them to exploit another up and coming generation.

I also mentioned that not all beggars are homeless .. though many pretend to be ..
This begging and giving is not strictly speaking a street homeless problem or issue .. it is more a social issue that has little to do with street homeless people and more to do with the culture that has now developed on the streets of not only London but other major cities of the world.

If a person cannot beg enough money to finance his / her ... drug / alcohol dependancy then as 'BoxBoy' rightly states that person will steal, be it cash ... handbags .. wallets .. credit cards whatever, or by selling shoplifted goods. Again, I hasten to add, it is not for me to judge these people ... Not the sort of behaviour that I could possibly consider ... nor indeed the behaviour of any street homeless person that I personally know., and I know so many.

If I had to choose between giving cash to a street guy or a homeless persons organisation (state sponsored) I would choose the street guy everytime .. but selectively of course.

Finally, I have been known on more than one occasion to treat a student to a cup of tea .. !! If anyone knows what poverty is about then surely .. it must be a student ... :)

Hi all,

I agree with the "students know what it is like being poor" statement. I also find it shocking that it is usually the students or the "poorer" people who give money.

Anyway, a very interesting question...

Vanessa :)