Do you give to beggars?

faerie~spangles

i tend to buy food and a drink and give it to them.

Ada_Doom

Do you not think that drinking and taking drugs are fairly reasonable and understandable responses to having to live on the streets? What do you think they should spend their money on? Throw cushions?

claire16c

Ive given money to someone begging once, this guy in Toronto. He had a sign up, that said he needed money for a hostel and food, and he did not drink or smoke and therefore would not be spending it on alcohol or cigarettes. He could have been lying, but something about him made me think he really wasnt, so we gave him a couple of $.

Every other person Ive seen, seems to be sitting there smoking or drinking. Which I dont want to pay for. I would rather give them food. Although my friends Dad once gave someone a cup of tea and they literally threw it at him. However I did once see a couple buy a takeaway for a guy and he seemed really grateful.
Ive bought the Big Issue, regarding the poster who was asked to buy the guys last one and it was a scam, I have always been told you should never buy the last one, as its often a con - although then I do think well eventually they must have a 'last' one to sell so they cant all be lying!

The worst were the ones in Manchester who used to sit near the cash points - who really is likely to give a beggar £10 or £20? They were quite intimidating.

I did watch a programme before about people pretending to be homeless. One of the people featured was a young girl who stood on the edge of the road with a sign saying she was homeless. The tv crew followed her later on back to her house. They also featured a couple of other people who did the same. So yes these people do exist. I dont think theyre a majority but definitely not a myth.

chompers

I don't give money to people begging but readily give money to charities.

Partly because homeless and people of no fixed abode are well able to claim benefits, and partly because our old next door neighbour used to beg with a dog in the local town. He had a perfectly good, clean terraced house- paid for by Housing Benefit and claimed at the jobcentre- he just liked to supplement his income.

mountainofdebt

Ada_Doom wrote: »

Do you not think that drinking and taking drugs are fairly reasonable and understandable responses to having to live on the streets? What do you think they should spend their money on? Throw cushions?

I would think that yes they do need drink and drugs to help blot out the situation that they're in but drink and drugs are not a proper solution to either their problems or maintaining any health they have.

What's wrong in giving them food?

Luella-14_2

Ada_Doom wrote: »

Yup, same here. Cannot see the problem with person_one's posts, maybe they are too reasoned and well thought out for the knee-jerk reaction brigade.....

I'm not seeing any spite or childish behaviour in person_one's posts either.

I donate to Shelter but have never given to an individual. I may now adopt the approach of buying a hot drink / sandwich though, it's a good idea.

meritaten

there seems to be a growing culture in this country that being 'poor' just cannot happen. That the disabled are just out to 'milk' the welfare state (after all, disabled people take part in Olympics and if THEY can do it ALL disabled people can).
That people who are homeless are just scamming - after all at least a dozen people have done that - never mind that there are THOUSANDS of homeless people.
That people on benefits are just workshy - there are jobs out there - but before you condemn them just go along to the jobcentre or go online and investigate. you may specify a certain area as you have no transport and know the buses dont run to other areas - but jobs as far as a 100 miles away will come up! so will jobs you didnt consider as you arent qualified for them! jobcentre online is a joke!
Not to mention that they advertise jobs which dont meet legal requirements. as in jobs which are commission only or where the NMW is only paid under certain 'conditions'. or even jobs which are 'permanently' advertised as its on a 'trial basis' at reduced wages and - guess what? no one ever gets taken on permanently!
I wonder if those who take to their beds when suffering from 'man flu' ever stop to think how thier rants against those on invalidity being scroungers sound? would you expect someone suffering a serious chronic illness to take on work that would make them worse? this government does and so do many MSE posters!

inneed

I'm finding this really interesting. It seems that there is no definitive answer. I buy the Big Isssue, and I have, at times, taken a homeless person to the local sandwich shop for them to choose some food, but I also give money to beggars who are polite. I understand the arguement that drink and drugs help them get through the day, but also think that real, long term help is needed to get them off the streets. Can they all help themselves by selling the Big Issue, or are there only a limited amount of vendors allowed?

Oldernotwiser

I think that people are making a mistake thinking that all beggars are homeless as the two groups can be totally separate. In addition most homeless people aren't actually sleeping on the streets, only a small minority are rough sleepers.

Also, homeless people, in whichever category, can claim benefits and collect their giro in person.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/homelessness/homeless_peoples_rights

mountainofdebt

meritaten wrote: »

there seems to be a growing culture in this country that being 'poor' just cannot happen. That the disabled are just out to 'milk' the welfare state (after all, disabled people take part in Olympics and if THEY can do it ALL disabled people can).
That people who are homeless are just scamming - after all at least a dozen people have done that - never mind that there are THOUSANDS of homeless people.
That people on benefits are just workshy - there are jobs out there - but before you condemn them just go along to the jobcentre or go online and investigate. you may specify a certain area as you have no transport and know the buses dont run to other areas - but jobs as far as a 100 miles away will come up! so will jobs you didnt consider as you arent qualified for them! jobcentre online is a joke!
Not to mention that they advertise jobs which dont meet legal requirements. as in jobs which are commission only or where the NMW is only paid under certain 'conditions'. or even jobs which are 'permanently' advertised as its on a 'trial basis' at reduced wages and - guess what? no one ever gets taken on permanently!
I wonder if those who take to their beds when suffering from 'man flu' ever stop to think how thier rants against those on invalidity being scroungers sound? would you expect someone suffering a serious chronic illness to take on work that would make them worse? this government does and so do many MSE posters!

Unfortunately when you know of people who've milked the system, scammed people's sense of generosity etc it does tend to make you wonder if the next disabled/homeless/unemployed/whatever is also pulling a fast one.

The problem is that people have stopped seeing the welfare system as a safety net that it was intended to be.