This left me open mouthed

morganedge

Part of the reason I wish I was rich, is because i'd LOVE to be able to walk around town and give money to people who clearly need it.
Unfortunately, i'm looking at a lifetime of minimum wage employment, so not really in the position to be giving money away too much!

Nicki

Personally I think it is just rude to walk into a shop and buy a sandwich for someone rather than give them £2 to buy one for themselves. If you are going to give to them, why dictate what you will give? The homeless person might need sanitary towels or loo roll more than a sandwich at that given point, but why should they have to explain that to you? Or they may have an anaphylactic allergy to the egg sandwich you bought them, but would have been fine with the cheese sandwich for the same price.

What is the utter disgust and horror about if, Heaven forfend, the homeless person does buy a can of lager with your hard earned quid? If I slept outdoors in the cold and rain at night, walked from public place to public place during the day for a seat and was denied access to basic facilities such as toilets and baths/showers on a regular basis, I suspect I might have a tot of something every now and again, and my guess is that most people in such stressful and degrading situations with no imminent prospect of an end would. For some reason a homeless person drinking from a can of white lightening and causing no one any harm is beyond the moral pall in some people's eyes, whereas the businessman sitting 100 yards away at an outside table drinking his glass of chablis is OK.

These threads always bring out the complete lack of humanity and empathy in vast swathes of the population. Having volunteered for several years in a homeless shelter, I hate to break the news to you all that a lot of the users are just ordinary people with ordinary jobs who fell on hard times due to redundancy or divorce and couldn't get back on their feet quickly enough before their savings ran out. Pre-existing alcohol and drugs problems only make up a tiny proportion, and whilst I am sure there are a few "professional beggars" out there (in the same way there are a few benefit scroungers or antisocial council house tenants) just because the Daily Mail has said it is so, does not mean that everyone or even a significant minority fall into this category.

jetplane

RevolvingDoor wrote: »

I buy the Big Issue as I quite like to read it.:p I used to work with homeless people but I usually give to registered charities, not to people on the streets. I have done on occasion given money, especially in winter, but the woman I mentioned that I used to see in my town wanted the money for the pub as I saw her in there after she had asked me for money.

I like the big issue too and it has some good stuff in it and will buy it for that reason. I also worked with homeless people and really would not care if that person bought a drink in a pub with my money. If I was homeless I might nurse a whiskey in a warm pub somehere until I had to go back outside.

Beetlemama wrote: »

Is that true? You don't have to be homeless? I'm shocked.

Not sure if this is sarcasm or not?

Gillyx

I feel awful now I don't carry cash, ever. I buy the sandwich for the homeless guy I do with my card, he's never complained and I've seen him eating it, but now I'm questioning whether I'm doing the right thing? I can only afford to do it once or twice a week but I don't even know whether to bother now.

jetplane

Loved this so much I had to repost it .........

Nicki wrote: »

Personally I think it is just rude to walk into a shop and buy a sandwich for someone rather than give them £2 to buy one for themselves. If you are going to give to them, why dictate what you will give? The homeless person might need sanitary towels or loo roll more than a sandwich at that given point, but why should they have to explain that to you? Or they may have an anaphylactic allergy to the egg sandwich you bought them, but would have been fine with the cheese sandwich for the same price.

What is the utter disgust and horror about if, Heaven forfend, the homeless person does buy a can of lager with your hard earned quid? If I slept outdoors in the cold and rain at night, walked from public place to public place during the day for a seat and was denied access to basic facilities such as toilets and baths/showers on a regular basis, I suspect I might have a tot of something every now and again, and my guess is that most people in such stressful and degrading situations with no imminent prospect of an end would. For some reason a homeless person drinking from a can of white lightening and causing no one any harm is beyond the moral pall in some people's eyes, whereas the businessman sitting 100 yards away at an outside table drinking his glass of chablis is OK.

These threads always bring out the complete lack of humanity and empathy in vast swathes of the population. Having volunteered for several years in a homeless shelter, I hate to break the news to you all that a lot of the users are just ordinary people with ordinary jobs who fell on hard times due to redundancy or divorce and couldn't get back on their feet quickly enough before their savings ran out. Pre-existing alcohol and drugs problems only make up a tiny proportion, and whilst I am sure there are a few "professional beggars" out there (in the same way there are a few benefit scroungers or antisocial council house tenants) just because the Daily Mail has said it is so, does not mean that everyone or even a significant minority fall into this category.

RevolvingDoor

jetplane wrote: »

I like the big issue too and it has some good stuff in it and will buy it for that reason. I also worked with homeless people and really would not care if that person bought a drink in a pub with my money. If I was homeless I might nurse a whiskey in a warm pub somehere until I had to go back outside.

The woman I mentioned wasn't homeless, she just made up a sob story to get passers by to give her money to go to the pub with. I saw her doing it for about three years.:D

Nicki

Gillyx wrote: »

I feel awful now I don't carry cash, ever. I buy the sandwich for the homeless guy I do with my card, he's never complained and I've seen him eating it, but now I'm questioning whether I'm doing the right thing? I can only afford to do it once or twice a week but I don't even know whether to bother now.

You could just smile and say Good Morning to him, and then say "I don't have any cash on me but I'm just going in here to get my lunch on a card, can I get you a sandwich at the same time? What filling do you prefer?" Just be polite and friendly and treat him how you'd like to be treated yourself if you fell on hard times.

The lack of normal social contact, and basic respect, is one of the biggest deprivations the homeless suffer.

scooby088

Nicki wrote: »

Personally I think it is just rude to walk into a shop and buy a sandwich for someone rather than give them £2 to buy one for themselves. If you are going to give to them, why dictate what you will give? The homeless person might need sanitary towels or loo roll more than a sandwich at that given point, but why should they have to explain that to you? Or they may have an anaphylactic allergy to the egg sandwich you bought them, but would have been fine with the cheese sandwich for the same price.

Have you ever heard the saying beggars cant be choosers, which in essence means be grateful with what you are given.

GlasweJen

I usually say "sorry mate I don't carry cash but I can nip to *nearest shop* if you want something to eat", I've never been refused or told I was being rude.

Gillyx

Nicki wrote: »

You could just smile and say Good Morning to him, and then say "I don't have any cash on me but I'm just going in here to get my lunch on a card, can I get you a sandwich at the same time? What filling do you prefer?" Just be polite and friendly and treat him how you'd like to be treated yourself if you fell on hard times.

I do speak to him already, quite often, even the days I don't buy anything. I passed him this morning but he was sleeping so I didn't wake him obviously. He's a lovely man.

I'm moving away from the area in a few weeks so I guess I won't see him anymore