Homeless People w/ Signs

[Lantern Venom]

I've bought homeless people food but I never give out cash. Not only might the person misuse the money (as people have already pointed out) but robbers often pose as homeless people and use their victim's generosity as a gauge whether or not to commit the crime.

On a somewhat unrelated note, I have the nearly ungovernable urge to stand at an intersection with a kitten in one hand and in the other hand a sign that reads, "I can haz cheeseburger?" I realize this is awful.

 

[Scourge2099]

I used to give change or buy a meal the homeless with a glad heart , but I got scammed a few times. Now I just give out of spite.

 

[Heretic]

Okay, here's some info...

First, these people do not want food. I have seen several who, if you look in the ditch next to where they are standing, is absolutely full of food containers that they have tossed away while continuing to stand there waiting for money. One guy at the same stop light as McDonalds must have thrown away a few hundred burgers while standing there.

Second, often...and this is not "always" the case...but often these people are doing this for a living. I used to know a guy who lived in a tourist resort. He'd wake up, walk a few miles pretending to be a desperate tourist with no money...got back home before lunch...and paid for his very expensive home on the beach and his new luxury car with the money he made with his very simple lie.

However, recently I was driving down the street and saw a woman holding a large sign. It said something like "This is humiliating and I never wanted to do this, but I've run out of options". I slowed down and realized that this chick was crying a river as she stood there...so I stopped and gave her some money. If she was scamming, then her acting deserves the money.

 

[bullets]

I know a guy who sits in a busy section of a particular city, I won't out him ,but he's retired and likes to sit there and have conversation all day so he dresses like a bum and sits in a wheelchair. This guy gets around $80+ a day and at this point it doesn't sound like such a bad idea.

I don't give homeless people money. I don't care if they are legitimate or not, it's just hard for me to feed into it. Also don't feel safe pulling out my wallet and don't ever let someone make a phone call , lol.

 

[THE MR. TERRIFIC]

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/95216/a_homeless_man_blows_100000_of_free.html?cat=9

I used to work in a major urban hospital. Helping people who constantly **** up starts grating on you really quickly. Some homeless looking guy comes in in a drug induced coma and so many different people get involved on the case and countless money/timet are spent on the guy. Then soon as he can stand, he's out the door and ****ing high again.

Then you get the ****ing college kids who come in time and again completely drunk/high off their ****ing asses and say they're all apologetic...then 24 hours later when the withdrawals set in, it's a completely different story. **** this ****.

One of my uncles is homeless. A long time ago he lived with us for a bit. He did nothing to help out around the house, complained about the food, etc. Yes, nobody wants to be a bum, but people simply have no self control and desire to fix their problem. the minority of homeless people who are there out of blind chance and are willing to work their way back up will do so by their own efforts.

If you're a liberal, you can go ahead and blame the rich and greedy for not raising the minimum wage. If you're a conservative, go ahead and blame government entitlements for making them dependent. I blame the person for not having the self-respect to make a lifestyle independent of the support of others.

This makes me sad.

 

[chamber-music]

There was a homeless guy in my town who wore a santa suit everyday year in year out. Apart from the usual drug/alcohol addicts alot of the homeless are war veterans with mental health problems, kids who have runawy from abusive familes or illegal immigrants.

 

[terry78]

I know a guy who sits in a busy section of a particular city, I won't out him ,but he's retired and likes to sit there and have conversation all day so he dresses like a bum and sits in a wheelchair. This guy gets around $80+ a day and at this point it doesn't sound like such a bad idea.

I don't give homeless people money. I don't care if they are legitimate or not, it's just hard for me to feed into it. Also don't feel safe pulling out my wallet and don't ever let someone make a phone call , lol.

Yeah, I don't let strangers use the cell at all. Though I did cave one time at Union Station when this chick was basically half-naked sauntered up and asked if she could call her ride.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

I'm sure its not, but we cannot begin to fathom what these people are going through or have been through. I'm sure if we were in the same position i'm sure most of us would do the same.

Feeling cold, alone, hungry & feeling worthless every day, i can't imagine theres much light at the end of that tunnel. I'm Alchohol takes them away from that, even if for a short while.

Is it helping them in the long term? No. Is it doing more harm than good? possibly. But as i said, we cannot fathom what these people are going through or have been through so its there choice if it makes them feel even the smallest bit better.

dude, seriously, don't give these guys money for booze, I have talked to a lot of homeless guys who are alcoholics, and most of them have something wrong with their livers, cirrosis(sic prob), life threatening stuff, they've been told if they drink anymore they will die etc. A lot of them also want to get off the booze.

and scar predator is right, sometimes chancers will ask you for money just to see if you are ripe for a mugging, same with criminals who ask you if you want to buy drugs or stolen goods. Just tell folk you are skint.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

i've gave once or twice but only to the ones i think are really desperate, and at most it was a fiver

the worst one i saw was one my dad and I were driving home and stopped at a light, and there was a guy going from car to car begging, he reached ours and my dad told him no. at this point he starts rubbing his stomach and claiming "so hungry, haven't eaten, so hungry"

so my dads shouts " really then go and sell your bloody hoody and shoes then" he flips us off and moves to the next car

no joke he was wearing an abercrombie and fitch hoody, levi's and a pair of nike trainers that went for around £140 in the local sports shops

sadly recently it's not homeless in belfast i'm seeing a lot of but a lot of immigrants begging and trying to sell stuff. and you really can not tell if they're genuine or not

 

[doih]

This makes me sad.

don't shoot the messenger...

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

"Homeless. **** it. I ain't gonna lie. I'm just lazy."

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

"Homeless. **** it. I ain't gonna lie. I'm just lazy."

Yeah, some homeless people have had genuine health problems, so you go right on thinking that buddy, and apply that to everyone, makes life easier on you i imagine.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

Yeah, some homeless people have had genuine health problems, so you go right on thinking that buddy, and apply that to everyone, makes life easier on you i imagine.

And you should watch Wayans Brothers movies.

 

[ComicChick]

There was a homeless guy in my town who wore a santa suit everyday year in year out. Apart from the usual drug/alcohol addicts alot of the homeless are war veterans with mental health problems, kids who have runawy from abusive familes or illegal immigrants.

yes so many of our vets are homeless, it's a shame

 

[The Guard]

I can't believe no one's talking about this. My hometown strikes again...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011...7217118.shtml?tag=cbsnewsTwoColUpperPromoArea

 

[AndThePickles]

It's unfortunate, because so many "homeless" people are really just scammers. The most honest homeless man I've ever seen was standing outside of a bar with a sign that said, "Give me money, I want a beer."

 

[Metamorpho1977]

So I was driving on the highway and turned off on an exit ramp. I see this homeless guy with a sign. There was this truck in front of me at a red light and if I would have driven all the way up behind him, the homeless guy would have been right next to my window. So I made sure to stop far enough behind the truck so the homeless guy was out of my sight. As I did this, the homeless guy started walking toward my car then just tried to let the other people behind me see his sign. I was so focused on not making eye contact with this guy that I didn't even get to read his sign.

In my head, I thought two things:

- Should I give this man a couple dollars only to have that lingering assumption in the back of my head that he'd just go and buy a 40 instead of actually buying food?
- Damn, I feel bad and guilty because I am treating this guy like he doesn't even exist...

I've heard stories about people's encounters with homeless people. Sometimes, these homeless people truly are grateful for the money they received. I heard from my friend's sister that one time, she gave a homeless man a meal from McDonald's and he threw it back at her and cursed at her because he wanted money instead (obviously, to buy a 40 or some drugs). Whenever I see homeless people on the street, I sometimes think that I wish I was so rich that I could literally pick him up and help him get back on his feet.

What sucks is that you don't really know why these people were homeless to begin with. For example, I volunteered at a homeless shelter one time and I discovered a tragic situation: some people became homeless because they were in so much debt from education, they couldn't pay it all back. Some people are homeless due to poor decisions they made in their lives (which can range from so many things like gambling, etc). Some homeless people are junkies. Homeless people and why they are homeless to begin with is a mixed bag.

Pretty much, my question is this:

- How do you all feel about homeless people on the sides of roads and highways begging for money?
- Have you ever given these people money or food?

And about certain homeless people with funny signs or jokes, remember what Chris Rock said. "If a homeless person has a funny sign, he hasn't been homeless that long. A REAL homeless person is too hungry to be funny."

A couple of things to look for. First check the shoes. If they are new or semi-new, he's not likely homeless or that hard up.

Second see if you can see any vehicles parked nearby. When I was selling cars there was a homeless guy by the interstate and me in my kindness gave the guy $40. When I came back with a test drive a 20 minutes later, I saw him getting in a new truck under the bridge next to the exit ramp.

 

[Ironfan72]

I can't believe no one's talking about this. My hometown strikes again...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011...7217118.shtml?tag=cbsnewsTwoColUpperPromoArea

I know its a awesome and wonderful story, I live in Columbus and its all everyone here is talking about

 

[Sam Fisher]

Yeah, there's a couple around here that will say some pretty nasty things if you don't give them money.

And then there's the stupid teenagers that will try and scam you. This one kid literally said in earshot of me to his friends "I'm gonna ask this guy for money", and proceeds to walk over to me and make up some sob story about how he has no money or whatever. I just laughed in his face and walked off.

 

[The Question]

A couple of things to look for. First check the shoes. If they are new or semi-new, he's not likely homeless or that hard up.

Second see if you can see any vehicles parked nearby. When I was selling cars there was a homeless guy by the interstate and me in my kindness gave the guy $40. When I came back with a test drive a 20 minutes later, I saw him getting in a new truck under the bridge next to the exit ramp.

I always look at the hands. Real homeless people, at least ones who've been on the streets for a while, tend to have a thin layer of dusty gray/brown color on their hands.