Poll: giving money to homeless/panhandlers

[Atticus]

well, do you?

[tinnitus photography]

i do it occasionally. but not for any particular reason or circumstances.

[bjorn_skurj]

If I am in a really good mood, yes. Otherwise, no.

[John Smith]

Generally yes unless I'm crunched for time or just don't have cash (which is more often than I care to admit)

[Winston Legthigh]

Occasionally, but not very often - I donate more to homeless/runaway shelters.

[Radiant Witch Face]

I do it when I can. I see the same people most days, so I can't support them daily. I really dislike seeing this everyday.

[Lammycat]

I used to fairly regularly if I had change. I rarely do now, though. The main reason is that they are on so many corners now in Denver that it seems futile to select the "right" one or two people who may most need it. Also, a lot of them work in teams/shifts and pool their money and that annoys me for whatever reason. 

[Atticus]

the trend that has become widespread in Houston is they walk/weave in and out of lanes of traffic in heavily-congested intersections.  scares the crap out of me.  some of them basically stay in the street after the light turns green and traffic is moving.

[mpolak21]

When, I'm asked directly I almost always do it if I have cash. I'm uncomfortable with giving panhandlers in traffic money, because for the reasons Atticus pointed out, it's not really safe and I don't want to encourage it. I give a little bit to the local homeless shelter each year, this thread makes me think it's time to do that again soon.

[Jcamp]

Recently, I've contributed a few dollars through Wilco's link for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.. 20+ years ago, I used to have a very early commute through San Francisco. The bus from Marin put me at 7th & Market 30 mins before the 1st BART. I remember walking out of a McDonalds eating an EggMcMuffin. I wasn't asked for money that morning, just a bite of my food. I had to simply give my food away, because this person was Hungry.  On the other hand, on my daily commute in Chicago these days, I see the same people working the expressway exits like Pros.  I guess, I try to judge by the need, but mostly stop way short of the car in front of me... allow myself room to roll forward as the Pro approaches...

[uncool2pillow]

Not many in Des Moines.  Sometimes at intersections and interstate interchanges.  I don't think the neediest people panhandle, so I give money to charity.  Many years ago, a couple of panhandlers got in a bad fight over "turf".  Charges were filed, articles were written.  One of the guys told the paper how much he typically made working this spot.  His take home pay was more than mine at the time.  He certainly could have been exaggerating, but it really rubbed me the wrong way.

[NoJ]

Most times, no, I dont give. Maybe if its a woman holding a baby, then I'll slip her some money.

 

There was this one time, it was late and I was coming home from my second job and I had a great night waiting tables.....waiting at a light there was this completely drunken bum asking for cash and he was having a grand time, laughing, smiling, weaving about, hootin and hollerin and I just couldnt resist. I gave him a nice bill and told him to keep the party rolling. His eyes lit up and he gave me a winning smile. Light turns green, off I go.

[Cold as Gasoline]

As a single woman, it always seems like a dumb move to bust out your wallet on a city street.  Also, my observation is that a lot of homeless seem to be either mentally ill or disabled, and doesn't it seem more efficient to donate to causes that directly benefit these individuals in some equitable way?  I donate to my local food pantry and that seems to be more sensible than dropping a couple of bucks in the cup of someone who may just use it to fuel his/her crack/alcohol/heroin/drug of choice habit, which serves no useful purpose.

 

That said, I remember leaving a pizza joint with my boyfriend at the time holding our leftover pizza, and he gave it to the homeless guy asking for cash.  I still remember it, and it raised my estimation of him to this day.

[PopTodd]

When I worked downtown, I used to pass the same homeless woman on my walk to the office every day.

I felt like I got to know her a little bit, and would give her some money every now and then. Once she got to know me a little, we would talk a bit and, it was the same tired story, she was an addict who had lost it all.

I stopped giving her money and would just stop at the McDonalds that she sat not far from, and pick her up an Egg McMuffin and cup of coffee instead.

Didn't piss her off at all. She understood and appreciated the effort.

I am almost certain that, at this point, almost 20 years on, she is no longer here. I do think about her every now and then and hope that she was able to finally straighten herself out. But that hope is pretty thin.

Still...

[IRememberDBoon]

if im drunk i'll usually give a bit

[Lammycat]

So you give often?

[IRememberDBoon]

just days that end in the letter "y"

[gogo]

Occasionally, but not very often - I donate more to homeless/runaway shelters.

 

Yup.

 

 

 

20+ years ago, I used to have a very early commute through San Francisco. The bus from Marin put me at 7th & Market 30 mins before the 1st BART. I remember walking out of a McDonalds eating an EggMcMuffin. I wasn't asked for money that morning, just a bite of my food. I had to simply give my food away, because this person was Hungry. .

 

I work at this corner (I can see your bus stop from my desk, right now!!).  Not much has changed, although Twitter has just moved in down the street, everyone is expecting big things...

 

Some days, I think I'd prefer the homeless to the obnoxious young techies.

[Moss]

I try to give a few bucks here and there.  I have a brother with some mental illness issues who is lucky enough to have a safety net.  Without that he would likely be in a similar situation.  When I worked in Berkeley it was tough as there was someone every 3 feet asking for money.

[Jcamp]

It's a really neat thing that you can see that setting right from your desk. Did Googles' arrival displace all the tents? Sure were allot of hungry pedestrians at 4:45AM around there back then...  I'll be a BART commuter again Dec 11 & 13!  Albeit, SFO to Powell St.

[gogo]

The tents have been gone for a while.  Were you around for "care not cash"?  That was the city's attempt to get everyone into some form of housing; it didn't quite work the way it was intended, but it did clear out some of the most "unsightly" symptoms of homelessness.  St. Anthony's is still here (I can see that from my desk, too!), so there's always a line there at lunchtime, but they do some of the best work in the area, with substance abuse programs, job training, housing for the elderly, etc.

[Jcamp]

Nope, I've only heard very limited coverage about the "transition"  plans occasionally covered by the networks. And it sounded like it was gonna be messy, at best.

 

Thank goodness for St. Anthony's and the St. Vincent DePaul's ( et. al ) in the area.

 

And, Moss : wow ,Bezerkly can be a mess especially around People's Park, eh?

 

Bless em' All!

[Radiant Witch Face]

I gave money to a homeless guy I see every day who has been on the street for a couple of years now. I always feel sad when I see him. he's a relatively young guy.

[anthony]

I recently gave a bag of dog food to a homeless guy with a dog. 

[Cam Jones]

usually if I have a buck and someone asks I'll toss it to 'em.

 

Portland, ME has been having a real bad pan handler problem, actually. I read some statistic that they earn an average of $18 an hour and that fuckin pisses me off. I saw some guy with Oakley sunglasses and nice sneakers asking for money. Unbelievable. 

 

I like to give the benefit of the doubt and I always say that we dont know the whole story... But if you're asking for money cuz you're "homeless" you should at least look the part. 

 

Crazyness