Why give money to homeless?

[BatmanNate]

I don't because they've done nothing to earn it and are not entitled to it. I will help people that try and simply are misfortunate if I have the means, but I will not help anyone who begs.

 

[dullard]

1) I give them apples - not money. If they want food they can have free healthy food. (Note: once I had a half pizza in a box that I really didn't like the toppings so I just gave that box to a homeless person - so I guess I don't always give them healthy foods).
2) Something like 90% of them are mentally ill. Deeko, your post applies well to that remaining 10%. But for the rest they aren't necessarilly drug users, alcoholics, or cigarette smokers...
3) Due to their mental illness, they cannot always find jobs.

 

[BamBam215]

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: HKSturboKID
Lets look at this in a different point of view.

If a person can choose, do you think that person wants to be homeless?
There is a lot of things that can cause a person to be homeless. They loose their jobs, can't afford to pay rent, force to go to shelter, need food for the family...etc...

Of course they don't. But does that mean that its ok for them to not get a job, and to live by getting other people's money? There are plenty of minimum-wage jobs out there that don't require you to be particularly skilled, and some money is better than none.

Right. So they should go into McDonalds with their dirty ripped up clothes and fill out an application where they would put a phone # for contact that they don't have. THen they should go home to a home they don't have to wait for the phone call for an interview right? Being homeless is a lot more complicated than you think. And getting out of it isn't simply a choice.

BTW, my reason for giving money is because I'm not there to judge. You're right. I don't know if they will use it for drugs or legitimately. But I figure I did my part if I could spare some change and everything else is left up to them. God will judge them!

 

[BamBam215]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

Hey, wake up, most places will not hire the homeless, if you don't have a home and a phone number to be reached at, you can't get a job.

I see no reason why you couldn't use the phone/address of some sort of shelter. Unless the person has some sort of mental illness, I see no reason at all why anyone should be homeless. Even if you have to live in some run down part of town and/or in a cheap rent controlled apartment and work on a production line at a poultry plant. There is always a way out.

Homeless shelter gets filled up quickly.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: Deeko
I live in Philly, so I see many beggers a day. Why does everyone feel the need to give them money? No matter what they say, they aren't gonna use the money for food. Have you ever seen a homeless person buying food? They can find food other ways. Money is used for drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol. Probably how they got there in the first place. By giving them money, you are really only making it worse for them. Besides, what did they do to deserve your money? They didn't work for it. And no, holding the door for you at 7-11 is NOT working.

Example:

My I.S. team was in our Philly office, moving servers and equipment to a new floor. Big project, long day. End of day, we go to Fridays for dinner. We decide to expense it out to the firm, so we're getting steak and shrimp platters, lobster, etc. One of techs gets paged, he's gone most of the dinner. Comes back, isn't really that hungry and doesn't eat because they screwed up his order anyway. So he has it put in a dish to take home. Steak, shrimp, garlic mashed potatoes - the works. We're walking down the street back to the office, and we're joking about the homeless. Then we come up to one guy, who asks us if we have any food to spare. We all grin to each other and the tech hands him the completely uneaten steak&shrimp dinner. He quickly says thanks, looks at it, and as we're walking on, he then asks if we have any money to spare. My manager just says "you should be happy for the food!". The homless guy says "yes I am, thanks". The point is... the food wasn't enough...

 

[Thraxen]

Right. So they should go into McDonalds with their dirty ripped up clothes and fill out an application where they would put a phone # for contact that they don't have. THen they should go home to a home they don't have to wait for the phone call for an interview right? Being homeless is a lot more complicated than you think. And getting out of it isn't simply a choice.

No, it's not complicated. Nothing any of you can say will change the facts. Here where I live, we have literally tens of thousands of hispanics (the large poultry industry brings them to this area). Many of which came into this country illegally, no money, and homeless. I have yet to see a single hispanic homeless on the streets anywhere here. Even if they have to live with 10 people in a one or two bedroom apartment they find a way to make it. There is no reason to be homeless if you are physically capable of work. Period.

 

[datalink7]

Jerboy, is that you?

Yes, a lot of homeless people use them for drugs and whatnot. But some really are just people who are down on their luck.

 

[BamBam215]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

Right. So they should go into McDonalds with their dirty ripped up clothes and fill out an application where they would put a phone # for contact that they don't have. THen they should go home to a home they don't have to wait for the phone call for an interview right? Being homeless is a lot more complicated than you think. And getting out of it isn't simply a choice.

No, it's not complicated. Nothing any of you can say will change the facts. Here where I live, we have literally tens of thousands of hispanics (the large poultry industry brings them to this area). Many of which came into this country illegally, no money, and homeless. I have yet to see a single hispanic homeless on the streets anywhere here. Even if they have to live with 10 people in a one or two bedroom apartment they find a way to make it. There is no reason to be homeless if you are physically capable of work. Period.

I fail to see how your observation would apply to homelessness in general. And it's hard for me to believe you've seen enough homeless people to say none of them were out of the tens of thousands that came over illegally. And even if what you said is true, I believe Hispanic people tend to form closer bonds plus the fact that they're in the same situation, I'd assume they want to stick together. You even agree that they would pack in and live together. Now if you're a homeless nobody, tell me it's still as easy?

 

[ReiAyanami]

i've seen homeless ppl go into fast food places and albertsons once

 

[Mallow]

I think most money given to homeless is used for alcohol unfortunately.

 

[Thraxen]

Now if you're a homeless nobody, tell me it's still as easy?

One, I would never get ot the point of being homeless....but if I somehow did, I could always find work (which is actually the reason I would never be homeless in the first place). You don't have to be exceptionally clean or well dressed to work at a lot of factories. I saw one person one time who was literally living in a beat-up $100 car at a factory. He would just live in his car in the parking lot at work. Even if you had to do something like that you would have enough money to get a cheap apartment after a couple of weeks.

 

[LongCoolMother]

would you hire a bum, a homeless guy on the streets looking to work for you in your business?

 

[Yax]

Originally posted by: Mallow
I think most money given to homeless is used for alcohol unfortunately.

What do you mean unfortunately? Alcohol is good for them. They've got nothing else! They probably don't have that long to live with all the germs they're carrying. Alcohol can actually help them by killing some of those germs. It warms them up too. I don't mind giving them money even if its for alcohol. That's their only form of relief from their problems. We all need a break sometimes.

 

[BamBam215]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

Now if you're a homeless nobody, tell me it's still as easy?

One, I would never get ot the point of being homeless....but if I somehow did, I could always find work (which is actually the reason I would never be homeless in the first place). You don't have to be exceptionally clean or well dressed to work at a lot of factories. I saw one person one time who was literally living in a beat-up $100 car at a factory. He would just live in his car in the parking lot at work. Even if you had to do something like that you would have enough money to get a cheap apartment after a couple of weeks.

It's easy to say this and that when you're never or would probably never be in that scenario. Not to say that I have been but I'm giving them the benefits of the doubt. There are just so many factors and varaiables that makes it hard to pinpoint the exact problem and solution.

 

[Thraxen]

would you hire a bum, a homeless guy on the streets looking to work for you in your business?

I would hire someone who is at least a bit respectable in appearance...not hard to do if you go to a shelter for help for starters. Do any of you people have any experience at all with industrial work places (i.e. food processing, manufacturing, etc...)? None of you claiming it may not be possible for the homeless to escape their situation sound like it. If you did, you would know that you do not have to be well dressed or even all that clean to work at a lot of these types of places. I've seen many such places (I'd say 60-70 plants) first hand. Trust me, if you're willing to work you can get a job.

 

[human2k]

Give the homeless guy a hug and say, I'm sorry that you're homless, maybe in the next life you'll be like me!