Ask Lemmy

I give them a fiver and ask them if they need anything else. Saying 'they might buy something wrong' is a slippery slope to 'people shouldn't get benefits because they might buy beer.' And I have heard right wing politicians literally say the latter.

If someone asks, I'll offer to buy them food or other supplies. My wife hands out handwarmers during the winter. We used to put together care packages for people, but lost the habit. I don't give out money because I don't want to enable addictions. When you offer something other than money, you are able to more easily separate people who want a fix over people who want to improve their situation. Your resources go farther when you help the latter.

edit: One thing that helps people out a lot is buying them public transit passes. It gives them mobility to get to shelter/services they wouldn't have access to otherwise.

I had a lady come up to me in the grocery store with her child and ask very quietly in very broken spanish/english to help her buy food for her and her daughter - who looked to be about 2. My first reaction that I acted on was to say sorry and walk away. Then it hit how cold and callous that was. Even if she was a scammer, that is not an easy way to make money. So I found her gave her $20 and walked away. A few minutes later I saw her with a cart and some food with a smile on her face.

My opinion is that if I have a bit of money that I can do without there is someone that could do with it I'll let them have it. The money may go to a scammer from time to time and I know in the past it has, but if I can help one genuinely needy person I do what I can, not going to let the shit bags (both scammers and politicians) keep me from trying to help

I been on the bottom rung. So I know that kind of living. And because of that I help when I'm able to.

I try to give a bit of money, reasons like they are going to spend it on *bad thing* aren't for me to judge or evaluate and people don't become rich from begging on the streets. There is also a bit of a hope that someone will give me a bit of money if situation will reverse once.

I once saw a guy searching through the trash for "Pfand" Bottles (German recycling system) that are worth 25 cents. He didn't ask me for anything, so I gave him 5€.

PS: I could tell that he was genuinely grateful (or at least a great actor) and I had that gut feeling that he is a good guy.

I won't help every time, but if someone asks and I'm feeling generous, I usually stop and talk for a few mins and hand them $10-20, no strings attached. I'm not the ethics police and if they buy insulin or liquor doesn't matter to me as much as them getting the impression that they aren't invisible and people want to see them prosper. It's too easy to see myself in their situation for me to be an asshole about it. Most of us are only an accident or bad decision away from homelessness and poverty.

As someone who's been homeless, I deride the term beggar. Still, It depends, If I have something on me I can part with. A joint, a cigarette sure. Got a fairly annoying allergy that means I often wind up with some food stuff I can't eat. If I have bills they can have cash. Change is kinda worthless here. If someone looks hungry, I'll give them something. But there's so many now in the area, you can't help everyone.

Just handing them money? No, I don't. I don't have much myself.

But I do work in a downtown area near a shelter and see a lot of the same people pass by every day. I'll give them cold water and extra food if I have it. Certain others I will let go through my scrap metal for stuff they can sell to recyclers, and occasionally I'll hire someone for the day to help me clean.

I still feel like a dick setting in my air conditioned truck ignoring the person setting outside in 100F+ weather with a "help me" sign.

Anyone willing to do that probably needs the cash more than I do. Who am I to say? If I can spare it, I share it. If I can't, I still try to give a little of my time to recognize them as a fellow human being, because I know begging or just being destitute in general feels dehumanizing.

A lot of them have drug or alcohol problems. I don't want to fund their self destructive behaviour. I'm more than happy to give money to homeless shelters, food banks and other related charities.

My thinking is that as long as I'm given the choice, I'd rather be scammed out of $20 than fail to help someone who legitimately needs it.

Occasionally I will say "how much more to get some product" followed immediately by "how much ya got". If they show change in their palm or otherwise engage honestly, I'll usually top them up. Have your beer dude, if your life is so crummy this is what you need to feel OK go ahead. Never ever ever ever ever ever ever give to somebody that claims they are hungry because that is a bald-faced lie.

But generally the way I give is to check on the addicts in the bus shelter during extreme winter nights, bring them hot/cold water, supplies to plug wind holes and otherwise keep it warmer, plus whatever I salvage in my travels. In summer I maintain the community "ice water" zone which is just at the stump of a tree, but now that all the people in the hood know it's there, it's raided continually. I honestly can't keep up as I just have a tiny freezer but it's replenished as often as reasonable for me. The community chips in now as well... they've started to bring lidded takeout cups and plastic bottles and leave them there so I don't have to constantly scout containers.

Where I live, there are a lot of people who hold signs on the side of the road and the end of off ramps. I'm a funeral director, and I've had to cremate homeless people who got hit doing that. It makes me very anxious to see someone running across traffic to grab a dollar from someone three lanes over.

So that in particular bothers me pretty bad

As a short woman who can't run fast, it depends on how safe the situation feels. In general, I keep moving if there's someone coming out and approaching people, because some of those folks can switch from a scam to a purse-snatch/assault in a flash. But I've occasionally tucked a 20 into the cart of a woman sleeping on the sidewalk, and I don't care what they spend it on. I donate monthly to my local food bank as well of course.

Vehemently against it. Far too easy to abuse - there's been criminal gangs that force people to beg. I've even heard of criminal gangs crippling people they traffic to give them visible disabilities to make the begging more effective. Giving money to beggars - even if they're not being trafficked - still makes begging worthwhile and increases the likelihood it will be made into a gang activity. We need government programs that handle it, or give your money to a charity instead, which makes sure the money goes to effective programs that help people in real need.

I'll throw a few bucks here and there. Bought a guy a six pack once. Fuck it life sucks enough as is when you're homeless, may as well have a drink and forget for a while.

When I can, I do. Life is difficult enough without having to beg to survive. Don't give a damn what they spend it on. Just want them to have what little comfort it can afford

Loud street beggars - never. They are usually members (or victims) of criminal organizations. Even if they are forced to do it, giving them anything only makes the business profitable for their bosses.

Poor people you know otherwise. Like for example a homeless person in your neighborhood who doesn't usually ask for anything. Help them if you can, especially with non-monetary support. Food, clothes you don't need, personal hygiene supplies, etc...

I prefer donating to food banks etc. That's a good tradeoff between helping people eat and not feeding addiction or encouraging begging. I want a world where anybody struggling just goes to the next food bank and shelter and won't freeze, won't go hungry and find assistance to improve his situation. The cost for these things is so little and it helps so much.

I don't like giving money to the homeless, that's why every month I make some grab bags, usually five or six because we have a few spots where people panhandle in my city. I based the grab bags off the weather, sometimes a cheap hat or shirt or sandals in the summer, and in the winter things like beanies scarves or gloves. Then throw some plant-based protein bars in there maybe a little candy, You will definitely want things that won't spoil in the heat of the car. Then a couple self-care items like some travel toothpaste and toothbrushes, chapstick gum that sort of thing.

What someone buys with the money I give them is none of my business. These people are suffering, of course buying drugs and alcohol is a possibility. People get drunk at the bar for less.

Some people talk like giving these folks money keeps them in their situation. As if the threat of death and nobody caring if they disappear will magically spring them up with motivation to find a job. Nope. But I agree that our current system of leaving it to the generosity of strangers isn’t effective. We need more housing-first programs, with access to therapy.

I should more than I do. It's a good thing to give when you're able.

If they ask and I have it, sure. People will say "I don't want my money going towards drugs and alcohol" to which I say "who cares?" once you hand it over it's not yours anymore, let them do with it what they want. Their lives are already shit as is so what do I care if my $2 coin is going to go buy them a beer...oh no a single beer, they'll get wasted!

Others will say "but you're just encouraging it" my guy I live in a city of millions not everyone is handing out twonies to homeless people, it's not going to cause a massive increase in drug use or alcoholism.

If someone is trying to do the most good with their money, it seems logical to give via an organization that distributes the funds according to a plan. To instead hand out money to people closest at hand seems it could be motivated more by trying to make me feel good than to actually make a difference.

Furthermore, there are larger scale systemic issues. Begging takes up a lot of time. It becomes a problem if it pays someone enough to outcompete more productive use of time that could, in some cases, pay, and in other cases, at least be more useful: childcare/teaching kids, home maintenance, cooking, cleaning, etc. In contrast, state welfare programs and aid organizations usually do not condition help on that the receiver has to sit idle for long times to receive help. Add to this that begging really only works in crowded areas, which may limit the possibility to relocate somewhere where living might be more sustainable. Hence, in the worst case, handing out money to those who begs for it could actually add to the difficulty for people stuck in a very difficult situation to get out of it.

This "analysis" of course skips over the many, many individual circumstances that get people into a situation where begging seems the right choice. What we should be doing is investing public funds even heavier in social programs and other aids to (1) avoid as much as possible that people end up in these situations; and (2) get people out of these situations as effectively as possible.

I wouldn't because I'm broke as fuck

My advice to them would be: go shoplift the corporate chain

Eat The Rich

I’m poor, so I’ll do what I can. Especially if it means ignoring people I’ve seen shoplifting. Because, no, I didn’t.