One time I went downtown and took 5 or 6 dollars in coins with me with plans to give it to the first person to ask me for some spare change. Just before heading home I gave the change to some dude, and not even 10 minutes later while on the bus heading down the bus mall, I spotted the same guy quite obviously buying drugs from some dude. He probably got 2 rocks for that 5-6 bucks. Years later I was walking down the street with a a friend after work, when a girl asked my friend for some change. He said he didn't have any change. I then turned and told her I didn't have any change either, to which she replied "I wasn't talking to you." I give out change once in a while, but rarely.
I have had interaction with many homeless. I think the general rule is if you give a panhandler money, it could be for drugs, alcohol (I think most likely) or food. Some homeless are nice and have real human stories about themselves and their life. Others can be rude and an all around jerk. Some are young punks, some are bipolar people who can't adjust, some are poeple who have worked all their life but are disabled with no means of income. There are so many differnt stories out there. There are a lot of better places to donate money if you feel like helping out the unfortuante. But if you don't care what the panhandler is going to do with the money, I like the attitude of you may have just given a dollar to someone who really needs it . . . and hopefully when I'm down on my luck, someone is there to help with whatever they can.
I miss the guy who used to stand at the light at the Rose Garden exit from I5 North. Dude had a sign that said, "Bet you can't hit me with a quarter..."
I am not sure how all our anecdotes of experiences with would-be homeless / panhandlers / beggars has that much relevance to the core issue: DO NOT GIVE MONEY TO PEOPLE ON THE STREET. If you do, you are likely supporting a drug habit. There is NO WAY for you to know what the situation of a person you just met on the street really is. You have to assume they will take the cash and do something with it you wouldn't approve. If you want to get involved, direct them to help, give them food or food vouchers directly, offer them work etc. Do not give beggars cash. I am not sure why that is so hard for folks to grasp. It makes no difference what percentage really need help and which are scamming. Think of it this way. We all get what we pay for. If the collective pays for begging/panhandling we will get more begging/panhandling. The more money they get for doing the more panhandling will occur.
Because some of us are on completely different wavelengths. I'm not interesting in stopping panhandling or concerned that my dollar may be feeding some drug habit. I look at the person in front of me, maybe talk to him and decide if I feel the person could use a break today and if I have some the spare money to help him out. I realize he could go buy drugs, alcohol or food with it. I realize this may make more panhanddlers come into the area and on some large socialogy scale giving money is bad for the overall community. I honest don't care about all that if I see some dude who I think could use a dollar.
That is one way to look at it. Food stamps are often sold for drug money . . . should we stop giving food stamps?
Actually, yes. Food stamps should be eliminated, and replaced with debit style cards that have the photo(s) of the family members allowed to purchase food on it. Connected to the register computers it would be easier to prevent certain items available at stores from being purchased (cigs, lottery tickets, alcohol, 10 bags of chips, whatever the social agencies want to control) That won't eliminate the issue, but will cut down on the abuse. Remember, drug addicts are often lazy or tired or too drugged to expend much effort. If you make it easy they will get high constantly. If it is difficult, sometimes they will go to the trouble, sometimes not. But sure, go ahead and whip a crack pipe out of your pocket, stick it in their mouth and fire it up. I mean you haven't done anything they wouldn't have done themselves right?
Well sure if we want to get sarcastic about it, that's always fun. I like how you automatically assume that every pan handlers is a drug addict. Go ahead and label all panhandlers and homeless people drug addicts. . . what harm is there in doing that, they aren't worth shit anyways. Remember labeling people and judging them by what they have and don't have may be easy and convenient to justify your actions, but that isn't the reality of the situation.
I don't assume that all folks on the street are drug addicts. You are mischaracterizing my posts. I never said I have that assumption. I accept that I can't know if someone I just met on the street is an addict or any other thing about them. Thus, I act as if that person MAY BE a drug addict, a professional panhandler, an addicted gambler, or otherwise irresponsible and/or incompetent to make right choices. So, you offer directions to help, coupons for a soup kitchen, food, etc. To give money is irresponsible. You are naive enough to think you can know somebody that you chat with on the street.
I guess I'll take my chance. You say irresponsible, I say I'm just human. I see a person I think truly is in need, I do what I think is right. If they are a drug addict, then my bad I guess. But for the ones I was right about, I'm happy I could help. I will say this, I have logged in over 100 hours with Beaverton homeless people. Maybe I know a little bit about Beaverton homeless
Sad that you have so little faith in your fellow human beings. Odd that you can read their minds, know their needs and desires. After all, they're complete strangers to you. Commendable that you never take drugs or consume alcohol yourself. Fortunate that you yourself have not lost everything you ever had and everyone you ever loved.
