Since bums need some kind of help

The next time you are in a generous mood, what are you willing to give the next bum you see out on the street, that's easy to approach?


A) Spare change
B) A hot meal
C) An odd job that'll keep 'em paid little
D) A place to sleep for the night
E) Some clean clothes that might fit 'em
F) A place to wash up/shower/bathe
G) An address they can use to try to get them self a decent job
H) Other (like what ???)

I used to work in a midsize city with a substantial homeless issue. Sadly mostly due to drugs, but a fair amount of just plain down on their luck folks. I'm not the best off financially so I would make a bag lunch, a few bottles of water, and a few smokes and give it to whomever happened to be at the 1st traffic light after the exit. Been homeless a time or two myself. It can be rough. Regardless of the cause. a reply to: Claymation213

originally posted by: Claymation213
The next time you are in a generous mood, what are you willing to give the next bum you see out on the street, that's easy to approach?


A) Spare change
B) A hot meal
C) An odd job that'll keep 'em paid little
D) A place to sleep for the night
E) Some clean clothes that might fit 'em
F) A place to wash up/shower/bathe
G) An address they can use to try to get them self a decent job
H) Other (like what ???)

Ummm...none of the above...in my anecdotal and totally personal in the trenches experience...(been there and done that)...I've witnessed certain correlation's between willingness to rise above...and extreme Lackawanna...which isn't to state that they all hail from Pennsylvania...

Spare change...always magically transforms itself into...addictive substances...which actually means that the one giving is actually enabling such self destruction...

Hot meals...usually run afoul of county health boards...unless supplied by a licensed...inspected facility...(been on both sides of that fence)...

Odd jobs...I always point persons in the direction of temp employment services...

A place to sleep for the night...Shelters...I DO NOT...recommend taking persons with possible TB and hepatitis ...etc...into your home...

Clean clothes...by all means...clean out your closets...

Wash up and bathe...again...NOT...in your home for the above reasons...

Address...see shelter...


Sounds harsh...however...always remember that you are not the arbiter of anyone else's existence...beyond your own and immediate family...

Acts of kindness serve only to feed empathy...and empathy is an extremely harsh mistress...who tends to hollow out the soul of the giver...

It's all that taking...


Obviously...only my own opinion...and quite anecdotal...





YouSir

a reply to: Claymation213

I hand out five dollar bills, and say I hope this gives you hope; I wish I could do more.

Give me a million bucks and then go away.
I can figure it out from there.

originally posted by: Homefree
Give me a million bucks and then go away.
I can figure it out from there.

Ummm...was there a non vocalized first line to that song..."Money...moneymoney...money"...

perhaps it went like..."Gimme...gimmegimme...gimmeee..."



YouSir

originally posted by: YouSir

originally posted by: Homefree
Give me a million bucks and then go away.
I can figure it out from there.

Ummm...was there a non vocalized first line to that song..."Money...moneymoney...money"...

perhaps it went like..."Gimme...gimmegimme...gimmeee..."

YouSir

Nothing they don’t deserve one single thing. Not a dime not a smile not a wave not a pat on the back not a hand up. They got where they by their own accord. In the western world if you live in the gutter you deserve it.

Down on their luck is the most inflated feel good bs I’ve ever heard. If your homeless but still smoke cigarettes for example or spend even 1 cent on anything that isn’t directly linked to your immediate survival you deserve the circumstances.

I’ve been drug addicted I’ve been broke and almost every single hardship I’ve faced is my own damn fault. Most of it could have been avoided if handled differently. The amount of safety nets and social services available to dregs in the western world is breath taking. Believe me.


Here is a feel good story about what happened when a man gave the homeless a pool. Truly heartwarming
www.google.ca...

a reply to: Claymation213

There is a reason you aren't supposed to feed pigeons at parks...

It sounds cruel, but you should not give them anything other than swift kick in the rear. Tough love. Almost all the chronically homeless are on the streets because they simply cannot function in society due to mental illness and / or drug abuse. No amount of money, shelters, or sympathy is going to help these folks.

Tough love will get the ones who hit rock bottom the motivation to get help. There are plenty of services available to those who want it.

For the others, society either needs to tolerate the homeless or grow a pair and start forcibly removing them from the streets. Those a small fry short of a Happy Meal or strung out need to be institutionalized. I'd support tax dollars being used to fund loony hospitals again.

I live in a super liberal town. The homeless are taking over everything. They are ruining the quality of life for everyone bringing crime and drugs to our quaint little town. Literally had one of these losers OD in the children's section bathroom of the public library. Finding needles and crap at the public parks, even around the kid's play ground.

My sympathy level is almost on empty right now....

a reply to: Claymation213

I gave one a plate of shrimp one time at a Yankee game when we were tailgating, he complained that he didn't eat seafood.

a reply to: Athetos

I’ve been drug addicted I’ve been broke and almost every single hardship I’ve faced is my own damn fault. Most of it could have been avoided if handled differently. The amount of safety nets and social services available to dregs in the western world is breath taking. Believe me.

The safety nets aren’t as good as you think if someone has a medical issue. We went through the system a couple of years ago. 15 weeks for medical ei because of my husbands enlarged heart when it took over a year of healing from his heart being too big. His arteries were clear, this wasn’t because of a poor diet.
I had to be home to look after him. We are still scrambling financially because the safety net is not what they say it is.
Some of the homeless in cities are there because of health issues.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: Claymation213

I gave one a plate of shrimp one time at a Yankee game when we were tailgating, he complained that he didn't eat seafood.

I've literally had a few get mad when I offered to buy them a plate of food instead of cash.

They run all kinds of games on the naive. My favorites are the ones who want to tell you they are just trying to get some money to get to a job. Saw this one guy one week at an intersection one morning with some story about how he was just trying to get some money to get on the train. Several days later, same mofo still there with same story.

I give the bums money. I remember what it was like being a hopeless drunk and needing a drink....

A great channel on Youtube is "Soft White Underbelly".

This guy interviews all kinds of dregs of society in a thoughtful way. It is really interesting. He interviews homeless, hookers, pimps, gang members, drug addicts, etc. All kinds of people with f@cked up lives who live in society's gutter. They tell their stories as to how they wound up on the streets. It definitely puts a human face on the issue as you do feel some sympathy for them.

The one common theme among all the interviewees is how messed up their childhoods were growing up. Seems like nearly every female says she was abused.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: Claymation213

I gave one a plate of shrimp one time at a Yankee game when we were tailgating, he complained that he didn't eat seafood.

Them were prairie shrimp.

a reply to: Claymation213

The only thing anyone should give a homeless person is advice.

Anything more than that only enables them to remain homeless.

There's a reason you see signs in national parks saying don't feed the bears, the same applies with the homeless.

I've given food to a couple that I saw looking through the trash cans for things to eat, how they got there I really don't care, I just wasn't comfortable seeing these folks digging through a trash can for food.

The only time I've given money was a gentleman when I lived in FL, I was out one night headed to a club and he was on the sidewalk downtown. He said "I don't want you to just give me money, I want to earn your money" turns out the guy did some card tricks and other sleight of hand. Now could this guy have been a pickpocket, sure, could he have had someone working the crowd, sure. However the only money I was missing was the $20 I gave him, because he actually did some pretty amazing things with a deck of cards, and I was entertained.

I'm not saying you've got to dance for your money or anything, but heck playing a guitar even badly is still better than standing around holding a sign doing nothing. At least you're trying to turn a skill you have into a means of providing for yourself.

originally posted by: Edumakated

It sounds cruel, but you should not give them anything other than swift kick in the rear. Tough love. Almost all the chronically homeless are on the streets because they simply cannot function in society due to mental illness and / or drug abuse. No amount of money, shelters, or sympathy is going to help these folks.

Tough love will get the ones who hit rock bottom the motivation to get help. There are plenty of services available to those who want it.

I can't believe how cruel a lot of posters are here. As a person who has been down and out due to mental illness, I can tell you first hand that tough love will not help. A lot of homeless people are disillusioned by society and it's dog eat dog mentality/ hierarchy. Many, where I live, had families and culture destroyed by the residential school system. Many are on the streets for the same reason we are conspiracy theorists except that the distrust of the government came from direct abuse and is personal.

I don't have a solution, but it is known that early intervention in mental health care is critical in children so likely all we can do is help the next generations. That's not likely to happen. My friend works in mental health care here in canada and says the system is so broken that a hospitalized suicide attempt wasn't even checked up on four months later. We do not live in a compassionate society and people are suffering.

I was lucky and was diagnosed by fluke at 50 with many learning disabilities. It made all the difference and now I live pretty normally but wasted much of my life. Being intelligent gave me a lifetime of tough love that did nothing to change those disabilities. Early intervention and awareness is key.

a reply to: Claymation213

The town Mayor came by yesterday, he's running for re-election.

I gave him a little of my time, a hand shake, a smile, but then I took a flyer from him.

About 200 feet from where I rent a room, there was a shack that some people were staying in. It burned down a couple of weeks ago. I haven't seen the people since. I'm a little worried.

I've been homeless for about 18 years now. I just move around renting a room here and there, now and then. Usually, the people who rent rooms out to me don't give me permission to invite homeless people to move in with me.

I catch a ride to the grocery store twice a month. If I see people asking for money I give them $20.00, inflation and all. 25c doesn't go as far as it used to.