Do you give money to homeless people?

If I have a dollar or change on me I will, but I’m not gambling my money like that. What I should start doing is buying food and giving it to homeless in NYC or something.

only if they dont smell of booze. if you are a junkie looking skeleton or smell of alcohol you are on your own, a sandwich is the best you can hope for.

I don’t give on the street. I do feel the guilt, but I have found people abusing the kindness of strangers. I’m not saying most, I really have no idea how many.

I buy the magazine ‘StreetWise’ from vendors. It was created specifically to give homeless and nearly-homeless people a business opportunity. They pay $0.75 for the paper and sell it for $2.00.

When I can afford it, I donate to the local food depository. And I volunteer at a food pantry, distributing groceries and hosting a sit-down dinner once per week.

They only spend it on – BEER, DRUGS, WOMEN. I rather save it for myself :)

I said it before and I’ll say it again. It’s the condition of MY heart that matters, not theirs.

@JesusWasAJewbot Now, now, now, not everyone is so fortunate as to be able to get hammered and laid 24/7. Sharing is caring, afterall! ;)

@jaytkay GA. I also think there’s more to be gained from giving money indirectly to the homeless than directly to the homeless themselves. Also volunteering is an excellent way to donate time and help – making sure the resources are spent the way you believe they should be.

I bought a Big Issue from some one yesterday. Here in the UK homeless peopel and people in vulnerable housing etc… buy a magazine for a £1 then they sell it on the street for £2. Thus getting a small income.

With this money greatness can be achieved, so don’t be spending it on booze and women. However, should that be your choice, make sure it is great booze, and great women.

I give money to people on the street when I’m moved to do so. I don’t care WHAT they buy with it—if they’re on the street, they need the money more than I do.

I have a close friend who does it another way. He’s an artist, and when he sees a homeless person’s sign he likes, he buys it—for up to $20. He then uses the signs in his art. Win-win.

I carry protein bars and granola bars with me and give those away instead of money. You don’t feel guilty and can help in a way you know will probably not lead to substance use/abuse.

Where I live, we are advised not to give beggars money because it enables them to stay on the street instead of getting real help. A huge portion of the homeless are mentally ill. You can’t help them on the street because you can’t find them at regular times and places, so you can’t give them meds that may help them see things more effectively.

My town (and others) wants to get the homeless into homes where they can get services—especially health care. That way they can get well, and find work, and start to support themselves in a much better way. If they get enough money to stay on the street, they never come in for help.

Yesterday I gave (rather, made my fiance give) a slice of pizza to a homeless man sitting outside the Domino’s we had just bought from. Mostly to assuage my guilt over not giving anything to the woman who asked for some food or water a few months ago as I was walking out of a frozen yogurt place. I still feel bad about that, knowing that I could have offered to buy her ice-cream instead of just turning her away.

Sometimes I will give them the odd £ here and there. It depends on how my own finances are doing that month which, I know, sounds incredibly selfish but my money situation, although better than the homeless persons, is not great and I have to be careful. If I can, I often will.

I don’t give money on the street. Mostly because I have no idea what they are actually going to use it for. I donate to the local food bank instead. I have occasionally made exceptions. I will give money to buskers. I once gave money to a guy who said he was trying to get together enough money for a six pack (honesty points), and I gave half my fish and chips to a guy in London who asked if he could have some of my cheese. I hope he was ok with it being fish.

Through charities that serve them, yes.

Not regularly…I live on a college campus in a large city where there’s a fairly large homeless population, and most of the time I just ignore them if they ask for money. There have been a few times, though, that I’ve given someone a dollar or so, usually if they go about asking in a funny or original way…for example, one night a few months ago, I was going into a store and parked in front of a meter, grabbed a handful of change and walked up to the meter to put some of the change into it. A homeless guy walking by reminded me that the meters are free after 6 p.m. I thanked him and was about to walk away when he asked if he could have the change that I had been about to put in the meter. So because he helped me out, I gave him the change. It was only about 80 cents.

@JesusWasAJewbot I agree.I don’t give to the homeless and don’t feel guilty that I don’t. Around the corner from my job its a shelter that feeds them, get their meds, and a place to stay for three months the only thing they have to do is look for a job..but most of them dont do it. It’s help out there so why you want to spend my money.

Yes, and no questions asked.

In Seattle. my wife went to see our children. we went to a fish market. this homeless person asked for a dollar. i offered him some fresh baked rolls i had just purchased. he looked in the bag and threw it on the sidewalk and said. ” i don’t want that s___t, i want money for a bottle”. i told him to kiss my ___! i may have been wrong. but so was he.

@john65pennington sounds like he was pretty wasted.

2nd Answer: according to the latest survey taken by homeless people, here are the two states that accept homeless people, more than any other. Kentucky is No. 1 and Tennessee is No. 2.

Yes, none of us know their situation and I feel that I have helped someone who really needs it, I don’t care what they spend it on, living on the streets must be very tough.
I gave a homeless old man that I walk past daily a scarf in winter as he has his own small scarf wrapped around both himself and his faithful little companion dog. It brought a smile to my face the next day to see he had it wrapped around his dog so now they each have a scarf.

@octopussy It’s really bad but I am more likely to give to someone who has a dog as, despite the fact that some maybe using the dog for exactly that reason and I have just fallen for it, most seem to really care about the dog. I always carry dog treats, AKA bribes (!), in my bag for my guys and once, when I didn’t have any coins on me, I offered a homeless man’s dog some of these treats as well as giving the man a few extra that he could give the dog later. The man seemed genuinly grateful! It was heartwarming.

yes, and I’ll do it again and again

I donate to charity sometimes, and if I have change on me I’ll give it away unless I can see an obvious reason not to.

@Leanne1986... I figure if they have a dog then that’s probably their only friend in the world and it makes me sad, it’s usually the older men that have the dogs. Another man I see has 2 dogs and I worry that the dogs aren’t getting any exercise as they just lay there next to him all day, I have also bought doggie treats as well for them. I know i’m a soft touch but I don’t care, it makes me feel good to give.