"What if I give them money and they turn around and buy alcohol/drugs!
Now, if you will excuse me, it has been a stressful week, so I going to met up with some friends at the bar/meet up with my weed dealer."
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What is your protocol for interacting with homeless people?
- Thread starter Spinluck
- Start date
"What if I give them money and they turn around and buy alcohol/drugs!
Now, if you will excuse me, it has been a stressful week, so I going to met up with some friends at the bar/meet up with my weed dealer."
Compassion. I don't always carry cash on me these days, but if I do I'm 100 with giving it to someone that needs it more than I do. If they're hanging around a restaurant I'll ask if they want anything to eat. I haven't run into too many homeless children these days, but I do see a lot of people with pets. So, I tend to make it point to talk with them and see if they need anything. Yeah, there are people out there that are outright scams, but I've seen some shit living here in Los Angeles. I've had friends that lived on the street and ended up turning to drugs because it was only sense of relief and structure in their life. I've seen what poverty can do to people and their families.
Mistakes? It's true there are some people out there that are homeless because of the mistakes they've made in life. However, there are a lot more out there that are victims of society. Once the debt starts, it can easily pile up on your if you're not expecting it. In the US, we treat homelessness and poverty as either a stain on our reputation or as a prop for views. We don't do enough, as a people, to help bring them off the streets and on to a path of self-reliance, rehabilitation and structure. People that frame them like you just did that are part of the problem.
Mistakes? It's true there are some people out there that are homeless because of the mistakes they've made in life. However, there are a lot more out there that are victims of society. Once the debt starts, it can easily pile up on your if you're not expecting it. In the US, we treat homelessness and poverty as either a stain on our reputation or as a prop for views. We don't do enough, as a people, to help bring them off the streets and on to a path of self-reliance, rehabilitation and structure. People that frame them like you just did that are part of the problem.
If I am approached by them I treat them like any other person. I'll smile and talk to them. If they have clear psychiatric problems that could definitely change but only if their talking about god or "are you afraid of death?" (this has happened to me before). If something like that comes up I say I have to go. If they want cash I'll give it to them. I don't care if they buy drugs or alcohol. Their lives suck and if it helps them cope whatever.
I feel great sympathy for the homeless, after-all "there before the grace of god go I." I'm maybe 2 or 3 major life catastrophes away from being there myself. It's fucking hard out here. I donate when I can to the local shelters though admittedly that feels a bit like throwing money down a well for all the good it seems to do.
If they've got kids with them or a dog or if they're busking I'll usually send a couple of bucks their way.
I know a couple of them from working downtown and when I see them specifically I'll usually buy them a doughnut and some coffee. The sad reality is that in my experience only a handful of people are homeless due to drug use or addiction, most of them are mentally ill and should be institutionalized but the system no longer cares for them (Thanks Nixon). Another large contingent are homeless because they're LGBTQ and their families have disowned them, though thankfully I'm seeing fewer and fewer of those in SoCal.
That said, some of them are fucking scary and I can't blame anybody for trying to avoid them. I'm 6'2" and over 300lbs, so as far as "people to fuck with" goes I'm basically dead last on the totem-pole; I guess being big fat and ugly has it's advantages.
If they've got kids with them or a dog or if they're busking I'll usually send a couple of bucks their way.
I know a couple of them from working downtown and when I see them specifically I'll usually buy them a doughnut and some coffee. The sad reality is that in my experience only a handful of people are homeless due to drug use or addiction, most of them are mentally ill and should be institutionalized but the system no longer cares for them (Thanks Nixon). Another large contingent are homeless because they're LGBTQ and their families have disowned them, though thankfully I'm seeing fewer and fewer of those in SoCal.
That said, some of them are fucking scary and I can't blame anybody for trying to avoid them. I'm 6'2" and over 300lbs, so as far as "people to fuck with" goes I'm basically dead last on the totem-pole; I guess being big fat and ugly has it's advantages.
I had a homeless guy walk up to me once and go "you have really pretty skin", then stare at me for a couple of seconds, then he went "I wanna eat it".
I've never noped out of a public place faster than in that moment. I hid inside a Dunkin Donuts and he just stared at me through the window without moving for like an hour until he finally left.
User Banned (1 week): Inflammatory generalizations, inappropriate commentary.
ERA isn't a progressive forum.
And fuck all homeless people.
I'll donate to a shelter or something but not to scam artists on the street.
Politely decline to give them what they might be asking for. I try to treat everyone like a human being but I don't 'help' everyone
I don't chastise the homeless or give unhelpful advice. I say I'm sorry I can't help and say take care.
I don't chastise the homeless or give unhelpful advice. I say I'm sorry I can't help and say take care.
I'm sure there are fakers looking to take advantage but I mean it's not hard to spot. Some have long stories others just
Pretty much. The only reason I wasn't homeless fresh out of undergrad was because my parents help me pay for my rent for nearly an entire year.
During this time I can confirm I had a PS4, Wii U, a car, and a smartphone lol.
Pretty much. The only reason I wasn't homeless fresh out of undergrad was because my parents help me pay for my rent for nearly an entire year.
During this time I can confirm I had a PS4, Wii U, a car, and a smartphone lol.
I don't give cash but I'll buy a meal if they want and I do give to supporting organizations.
Not making eye contact or acting like you don't see or hear them is cowardly
Not making eye contact or acting like you don't see or hear them is cowardly
I never carry cash on me, so not much I can help.
Plus, being in NYC all day, it'd be pretty hard to interact with every homeless person. So I usually just walk past them.
Plus, being in NYC all day, it'd be pretty hard to interact with every homeless person. So I usually just walk past them.
That's quite an escalation. Even homeless people sometimes have somebody who looks out for them. If you're on the streets, a phone is a lifeline. I currently share a home with somebody who regularly smashes furniture and inflicts serious wounds on us (yep, same autistic kid I discussed above.)
Suppose that became too much for us to deal with and social services refused to pick up the ball. We'd have a person we love very much living on the streets. You can bet we'd make sure we didn't lose contact with them.
We'd never let that happen in practice, but that's now. In ten years time we'll be much more frail and less able to sustain the risk. Our child will still be autistic and still beloved.
Much like shooting Jesse James doesn't make you Jesse James, being more progressive than Reddit doesn't make you progressive.
See black threads, see trans threads, see apparently homeless threads too.
But report, report report.
Did you have a bad experience with some aggressive panhandling?
Actual homeless people? Respect.
Pan-handlers? I completely ignore them.
Weird story and I wish I had taken a pic of the guy, but I was in Vegas for a few hours waiting on a flight and just walked around some of the strip. Saw this guy with a fake beard and a baby doll strapped to his chest with a sign that said "Need money to feed child" standing near the entrance of one of the casinos. I had a laugh and went on my way (I was kinda drunk at the time), but thought about it later and how many people would actually fall for that kind of shit. You get the regular pan-handlers with similar signs about being a vet or have a kid to feed, but this was next level with clearly a fake doll strapped to his chest.
I still wish I had a pic of the dude.
Pan-handlers? I completely ignore them.
Weird story and I wish I had taken a pic of the guy, but I was in Vegas for a few hours waiting on a flight and just walked around some of the strip. Saw this guy with a fake beard and a baby doll strapped to his chest with a sign that said "Need money to feed child" standing near the entrance of one of the casinos. I had a laugh and went on my way (I was kinda drunk at the time), but thought about it later and how many people would actually fall for that kind of shit. You get the regular pan-handlers with similar signs about being a vet or have a kid to feed, but this was next level with clearly a fake doll strapped to his chest.
I still wish I had a pic of the dude.
What the fuck you talking about? Did a homeless person kill your father are you Batman or something?
If I'm close to a convenience store I just tell them they can get whatever they want and I pay for it.
If not I give them cash but I rarely carry cash, so I just say sorry I don't have cash.
If not I give them cash but I rarely carry cash, so I just say sorry I don't have cash.
Not every homeless person is a scam artist. Lots of people just having a hard time out there.
Made eye contact with homeless person, they asked for money, I said sorry, they said they were going to stab me if I didn't give them money, I walked away.
I'm honest with them. I don't really carry around cash anymore and when I do it's specifically for a purchase i'm probably on my way to make. The homeless around here usually respond with "ah no worries then. God bless."
Back in my old job I dealt with a lot of the homeless that would want a place to chill while they waited for the shelters to open up. Same thing there. Treated them like any other customer. Only issue with them was making sure they didn't fall asleep somewhere in the building or do stuff in the bathrooms. I got a lot of non-homeless people goin "Now, I remember why I stopped coming here. Too many homeless." That always bothered me 'cause it was like dude, if they're just sitting reading the newspaper or playing chess then what're you complaining about?
Back in my old job I dealt with a lot of the homeless that would want a place to chill while they waited for the shelters to open up. Same thing there. Treated them like any other customer. Only issue with them was making sure they didn't fall asleep somewhere in the building or do stuff in the bathrooms. I got a lot of non-homeless people goin "Now, I remember why I stopped coming here. Too many homeless." That always bothered me 'cause it was like dude, if they're just sitting reading the newspaper or playing chess then what're you complaining about?
I'm kinda coming to the conclusion that we're all discussing two separate groups of people as one group.
Hustlers/panhandlers and the homeless. Not all of the homeless are panhandlers and vice versa.
Surely we can all agree that social services are lacking in addressing the needs of the homeless at least?
Hustlers/panhandlers and the homeless. Not all of the homeless are panhandlers and vice versa.
Surely we can all agree that social services are lacking in addressing the needs of the homeless at least?
ERA ain't really progressive at all. It's just the largest gaming community that isn't right-wing garbo. It's full of selfish looking-out-for-number-one assholes. You remember that thread about whether or not people would risk their lives to save children on a sinking ship? People showed their whole ass there.
My interactions with homeless people where I grew up was almost entirely negative. I regularly had people turn down free food because I refused to directly hand them money. It didn't take a genius to figure out why that was the case. That said, I'm not against feeding the homeless, taking them to a cheap diner or even volunteering in a soup kitchen (I did this for 4 summers).
My usual MO is to calmly tell them I don't carry cash and if they push the issue for cash specifically then I directly and immediately rebuke their rude advance and move on. This isn't nearly as bad here in Austin TX as it was for me growing up in NY but every once in a while I get some homeless person try and harass my date for sympathy points when I refuse to budge. I have absolutely zero patience for people like that and I find absolutely no reason to maintain a calm temperament in situations like that.
My usual MO is to calmly tell them I don't carry cash and if they push the issue for cash specifically then I directly and immediately rebuke their rude advance and move on. This isn't nearly as bad here in Austin TX as it was for me growing up in NY but every once in a while I get some homeless person try and harass my date for sympathy points when I refuse to budge. I have absolutely zero patience for people like that and I find absolutely no reason to maintain a calm temperament in situations like that.
I don't think you'll get a majority agreement on this. The resources are there. Who is to blame for not using those resources?
I think you also need to split the homeless demographic from the lost a job and hard times homeless and the sovereign hippy homeless (which also includes or has overlap with the drug using homeless).
I give change to pretty much every homeless person I pass. And I say this as someone who's had their wallet stolen by a homeless person while I was in the process of giving money to them. Some of them may be scam artists, some may be thieves, some may be addicts or down and outs who've given up on everything, but if I can afford to give I would rather do that than feel unable to help a fellow human being in need. That's why it's called "spare change", because I can spare it and not have it affect my day in any meaningful way.
If i have a spare dollar in my wallet, i'll give it to them.
i once went to ATL and the homeless people down there are some of the nicest people ever. had a full conversation with a homeless dude about Sports and things to do around ATL while i was there. ended up buying dude a plate of food and gave him $25 bucks. He was very humble about it.
Most of the time its just people down on luck in life or just made a string of bad decisions.
i once went to ATL and the homeless people down there are some of the nicest people ever. had a full conversation with a homeless dude about Sports and things to do around ATL while i was there. ended up buying dude a plate of food and gave him $25 bucks. He was very humble about it.
Most of the time its just people down on luck in life or just made a string of bad decisions.
I will not give them cash for a couple of reasons. The main one being that I do not want to enable a booze/tobacco/narcotic habit. The other being that I do not wish to open my wallet where someone can see how much cash I may be carrying.
If I am able I will buy them a burger, chicken dinner, salad or something.
I do not go out of my way to have conversations with them but that is due to my introversion. I do not seek out conversations with any strangers, really.
If I am able I will buy them a burger, chicken dinner, salad or something.
I do not go out of my way to have conversations with them but that is due to my introversion. I do not seek out conversations with any strangers, really.
You think it's weird that I think it's weird that someone asking for money would prioritize an up to date smartphone over everything that isnt food? Like better clothes? Or shoes? MY smartphone isn't even up to date
I do judge what they do with my money so I stopped giving them any.
Homeless can have smartphones and many case are lifeline. Especially in today age where it particularly hard to get a smartphone.
Are my children on this ship? If not I'll send thoughts and prayers from the shore.
In my city there are more free beds in the homeless shelter than homeless people so there is no need to stay outside in the night. We also have enough free food for everyone at the foodbank, so nobody should be thirsty or hungry. With that in mind I just give them some money (1-2€) sometimes.