Do you give to beggars?

Jezminda

In some cases the animal is usually happy - dogs get fed first and get to spend all day with their owner, instead of left alone all day.
Don't judge all by one brush.

alex21

meritaten wrote: »

unless the rules have changed again - you cannot claim benefits without an address even if its a C/O or temporary one.

We have loads of people signing for JSA in our office, who are of No Fixed Abode. They are made to be daily signers and collect their giro from the office. We even have some with Post Office accounts with our office address used. Some are NFA but are sofa surfing, others who are fully homeless.

Person_one

I don't give to beggars as a rule, I buy the big issue and have a standing order to Shelter, and thankfully there aren't that many in my city, I can think of two or three regulars.

The animals are fine, generally. A lot of people with no compassion to spare for the human have plenty for the dog so they are more likely to get food bought for them. Also, dogs thrive on companionship and one that lives on the streets but always at the side of its owner is likely to be happier than one kept in a cage for 10 hours a day in a warm house!

Sally_A

I was 10 or 20p short of paying for my ticket on the Pay as you Leave machine. Negotiated a couple of roll ups with the guy sat down by the machine asking for some cash.

Two happy bunnies!

inneed

alex21 wrote: »

We have loads of people signing for JSA in our office, who are of No Fixed Abode. They are made to be daily signers and collect their giro from the office. We even have some with Post Office accounts with our office address used. Some are NFA but are sofa surfing, others who are fully homeless.

Soooo.................does that mean that the majority of beggars are probably getting jsa? That would certainly change my stance on it as our household income is very low, even though we have worked all our lives.

animalmagic84

I never give cash, however if I see somebody begging and I am nearby a shop then I will sometimes pop into the shop and buy them a sandwich or some crisps and a drink. That way I know they won't use the money to buy drink/drugs etc but I know that they won't go hungry either.

victor2

No. Rarely. Because many will spend it on drink and/or drugs. Then they'll break into a house and steal the owner's hard earned valuables to get their next fix.
Having a dog is a recommended way to get more money. But it's true they have to feed it and keep it relatively happy, until it gets sick, then you dump it and acquire another.

tinktinktinkerbell

Ada_Doom wrote: »

And as for caring more about the dog than the homeless person, that's just the opinion of a teenage girl, surely?

im 30

but as you can probably tell i care more about the innocent animal

Running_Horse

No. I already pay tax.

If you want to help the homeless, give money to a charity for the homeless.

If you want to help someone into an early grave, give money to an addict.

Nicki

I help out occasionally at a homeless shelter, and was surprised when I first started to discover that most of the homeless were just like us, same kinds of jobs and lives, before something went wrong, usually a combination of divorce and redundancy. Very few had drug and alcohol problems, though of course some do. Prior to that I had the same sort of prejudices as most people about the kind of people who end up in this situation but I now know a big chunk of the population is only a few pay checks away from being on the street.

I do, and before this experience also did, give to beggars provided they don't frighten me. I wouldn't give to anyone aggressive, and I probably wouldn't get my purse or wallet out if I was alone with a beggar in a dark street. But outside that limitation, I will give what I can at the time, and it's up to them what they spend it on, though I hope some will go on food. I have also a couple of times called an ambulance for an obviously very unwell homeless person, when others have walked by leaving them unconscious in the road.