just wondering
I will leave it at people can, if they have the means and want to. You’re never obligated, even if someone is using aggressive panhandling tactics.
I play pinball, so I’m one of the disappearing folks that often has a little bit of pocket change left over. If I see someone panhandling and I am feeling generous, I’ll share some. If I don’t have any, am still feeling generous, and they’re outside of somewhere serving food, I’ll ask if they want something. Usually people say yes, sometimes they say no. Never buy something with the specific intent to give it to a panhandler without asking them first - it’s rude to presume. If you legit have something extra that you didn’t expect that is fair game to offer - in those circumstances I always add “If you don’t want it, that’s cool” to make it clear I’m not forcing it on them/I won’t think they’re rude for not taking it.
If I’m not feeling generous, I don’t give anything.
Whatever anyone does with anything I gift them is their business. It’s fucking rough out there.
I don’t give money to panhandlers because I don’t like being solicited. (Also why I don’t buy things at my door, or via telemarketing) however I do support the idea of programs distributing funds directly to those in need.
A good charity would be able to get the most out of your money. At least you know the chances of your $20 turning into drugs, alcohol, or gambling is minimal that way. Making money takes time and effort, and you owe it to yourself to see it spent wisely.
I don’t know which are real and which are part of some scam ring. In my area there are rings of women with children selling candy. When they reach the last stop they regroup and discuss with each other then shill candy on the next train. I never give money but I buy food if they ask. I offered to buy a sandwich from dunkin for a man and he screamed at me about how he needed muthafuckin money!!! and ever since I don’t offer anything anymore to anyone.
This is an empirical question that people are baselessly speculating about from the armchair, when we’ve know the answer for years. Even the neoliberals over at The Economist think it’s a good idea.
The important act is giving. If you think a dude on the side of the road needs $20 and you’ve got it to spare, there’s no downside to doing that. They may not use it how you like them to, but they will use it how they best can. Sometimes that’s food, sometimes that’s drugs, to keep them from actively offing themselves.
If you think a charity has a decent track record and can better use those funds to serve more people, donate it there. They’ll use it how they beat see fit, whether that’s food, shelter or enforcement of policies. It may not be how you want it used, but that’s okay.
Ultimately, give what you can, however you can. Once you’ve given the money, you can’t determine how it’s used, so be okay with your act of charity simply existing by itself, not in comparison to another hypothetical “best” act of charity.
Yes of course. And if they go spend it on a pack of chips or coffee from the 7-11, that might be just what they needed to get through the next few hours.
Only they know what they need right then and there, and I hope we’re past the condescension of people refusing to give money but offering some food item they believe the person would benefit from (because “if I give money they’ll just waste it”).
Sometimes they might want to talk if you can spare some time too, to break the social exclusion they’re feeling.
And they might not be appreciative, or they may have a as bad attitude, that’s the way it goes. They’re dispossessed, they’re looked down on, and they could be sleeping on the side of the road on a rainy night wondering how long they’ve got left. They may have lost families. They may not have it in them to say “thanks mate”.
It’s not so much people being worried about wasting it, as much as they’re worried about paying someone to continue fueling spirals of addiction. People can be homeless due to any number of different factors, so I hate to assume someone’s circumstances, but it’s impossible to know when giving cash is helping or making things worse.
My place of work is a nonprofit that coordinates with a variety of local social services, so I donate to those causes each year instead and help others connect to the resources they offer when I can.
people refusing to give money but offering some food item
Dude doesn’t need to accept it.
the condescension of
Hmm. Don’t be a dick, okay?
Are you serious dude? Fuck me.
I think the debate on this issue is blown out of proportion.
First, giving a small amount of money to someone in need is a very direct and human act of compassion which makes it worthwhile, if you gift someone money it is their prerogative what they do with it and the idea that it is harmful is blown out of proportion.
Second, giving money to a local charity is also worthwhile, if you don’t feel comfortable for whatever reason.
The idea that one approach is good and the other is actively bad is at best a distraction and at worst an excuse to do nothing at all
The fact is that even in Australia, which by world standards has a not bad safety net, it is not possible for most people to get crisis housing and waiting lists for public housing are rarely less than 6 months, welfare payments can be cut off for trivial reasons and public mental health services are overwhelmed. These are the problems that successive governments have refused to tackle.
If you can make someone’s day with a small gift then please do.
Once I saw a homeless guy begging outside of a sandwich shop, I was going in to buy lunch, so I ordered two sandwiches instead of one. I came out and offered the extra to him. He scoffed at me and refused it. So, I had a sandwich for lunch and I had a sandwich for dinner, and both were delicious.
You could have asked him what he wanted first, if anything at all?
My parents have a well worn story of the time they were students and very poor and they saw a homeless guy outside the kebab shop and asked if he’d like a kebab to which he agreed. They brought it out to him and he examined and threw it on the ground and yelled at them about something they now don’t remember exactly but they think it was something to do with not wanting chilly sauce. Guessing that guy wasn’t in the best state of mind at the time, bit of a bummer for them though because they scraped together the last of their cash to pay for that and it would have been better if they could at least have eaten it themselves.
I was at a sandwich shop in town. Something happened and they messed up my sandwich. They said “want a remake?” and, well, please. I’m particular. “Want this one?” Yeah, as I’ll bring it home for the wife. But wait: on the way to the train I see a pair huddled in a doorway, just being. “Free sammich? Just from there, I swear it’s good, but it’s extra. You want?” Yeah, they wanted it.
Felt good not to waste it.
I feel totally okay with buying a poor guy lunch if he wants it. My family was poor, I’m okay now, I have no pride and I like food; I assume Buddy is the same way. If so, free lunch. Woo!
I don’t like giving money to people. I DO like giving money to the food bank, as they can leverage the fuck out of it and the dollar goes further for more people. I don’t give food to the food bank, as whatever I buy to give for them is nowhere near as good as me giving that money to them directly.
Same, as a young man I had a visit in downtown Chicago. I had a doughnut in my pocket… Which a begger refused. Really crossed my circuits that day.
Yeah, those pan handlers are jerks.
I had a similar experience with a Subway restaurant downtown. Dude was begging for money on the sidewalk. We offer him a sub, and just gets mad at us, and goes back to playing on his MacBook while cursing us out.
Would I rather live in a world where sometimes people take advantage of kindness or a world where nobody helps anyone in need? I’ll take the former.
I never give money to the homeless. They’ll just buy drugs and alcohol.
I keep it for myself. So I can buy drugs and alcohol.
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For real though, I try to give $5 if I can. Some people will waste it, some will make good use of it, and it’s impossible to tell from the outside looking in. So I might as well swing at every ball. Giving to charities is good too, but they don’t reach everyone (for all sorts of reasons).
Yes.
Yes, they might use it for drugs or alcohol, that’s fine, it’s as important as food sometimes.
Non profits and charities are great in theory, but most redirect less than 10% of what they receive towards the homeless look at LA’s projects as the most glaring example, it “takes” 10 million+ per single housing unit for temporary housing. Not due to cost, but simply corruption at every level. From the non profits involved to the government itself.
Giving directly to the homeless skips all that.
Or to put it another way, you can’t fix the problem or treat symptoms by continuing to give money to the cause of the problem. Giving directly at least treats the symptom.
most redirect less than 10% of what they receive towards the homeless
this is a very very bad way to think about charitable giving. if your aim is to get as much money to solving homelessness as possible, you want advertising and marketing campaigns, you want efficiency (but people working on a problem is “overhead” whilst their solutions to make things cheaper mean less money that “makes it to” solving the problem at hand)
this video does an excellent job at describing the problem
That’s nice, but there is no excuse for higher overhead than the amount of money actually spent on the problem, when the problem objectively can be solved by direct expenditure.
We know how to eliminate homelessness and the causes behind it even in a capitalist society. It doesn’t cost a billion per 100 transitional housing units.
and that all requires organisation, and organisation isn’t free - in fact the structures required to organise things like that are more expensive than the cost actually spent on the problem … you don’t just up and build houses - that’s not how any of this works… ask anyone that’s built a house, and they’re not even doing it on a large scale where complexity goes up significantly, or dealing with distributing money in a manner that they have to makes sure their expenditures are justified rather than just being able to make decisions for themselves
Majority of Lemmy would not give money to homeless people. That’s crazy. No empathy for the poor.
Being poor isn’t hot right now. Only Gaza, trans and abortions.
No, the majority of people don’t want to enable someone to drink alcohol or use drugs.
Your money will go further if you donate to a local charity or food bank. That being said, I’ll give money occasionally. It’s nice to let them know others do genuinely care about them and their plight. Usually I’ll talk to them first. If they’re not too pushy I’ll slip them enough for a couple of meals. Subway gift cards are a good way to go. There’s lots of them and you know your money will go towards food. Most importantly treat them with respect and dignity
If you want to. It might help.
