8/10
8/10
Never give them money, only food maybe but there are so many city programs they can goto but if they get money from you then the chances ar pretty high that they want it for drugs or booze. There is a reason why they are where they are.
A friend of mine writes a thrice weekly column for our local newspaper. He did a deal where he bummed himself up and found a convenient street corner/intersection. He stayed there 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. with a cardboard sign that said something like "Homeless - God Bless You." His five hour take was as follows:
Four Hostess Donettes, powdered mini-donuts.
A breakfast burrito, hash browns and coffee.
A turkey bacon club sandwich from Arby's.
Two canned soft drinks.
One bottled water.
A to-go box of two burritos, a giant pickle and chips.
A homemade sandwich.
Twelve $1 donations.
Seven $2 donations.
One $7 donation, and others of $4 and $3.
One $5 bill.
Separate loose change donations: 76 cents, a quarter and eight cents.
So he got $9.20 an hour tax free and enough food for all day. Not enough to live well on, but better than thousands of job holders do.
I was recently in Cincinnati on business for a night. On our way from the hotel to a bar after dinner, one guy hit us up and the five of us gave him the Heisman. After being at the bar for a few hours, we headed back to the hotel. On the return trip, a guy stopped us and told us a story about how his buddy had a fight with his girlfriend or something and for some reason he needed $14 for a cab ride back to the suburbs, 20 minutes away. My co-worker buddy whips out $20 and just hands it to the guy. My other friend and I were floored. He justified it by saying he would deduct that from his normal yearly charitable contributions and it would be deducted on his taxes appropriately. I still thought it was crazy.
Tell me about it
Once this girl came up to me and said she was trying together some money to stay somewhere for the night. She said something about a dollar so I gave her some chance, thinking she wanted a contribution towards a dollar. But when she got the change she had this look of disgust on her face (obviously it turned out she expected a dollar from me) and said: "this is how much you give to a homeless person?"
But I probably shouldn't generalise. In retrospect, she may not even have been homeless.
I have recently decided that if you are going to give to people, it's best to give to the most hopeless looking ones who aren't even begging that much. Because the ones who are asking are the ones who know how to manipulate you and are just scamming you (probably not even homeless) - just my two cents.
it is too much of a 'racket', with the "help the homeless" sign, etc....but, one thing I will do, is: when going into a fast food place and a 'homeless' person asks for money; I say "no, but I'll be happy to buy you lunch"....the ones that take me up on it; well, I'm glad to spend 3 bucks for a 'combo meal' of some sort.
It was so cold out that is hurt. Wind chill below of 20 below zero.
I was at work sitting at my desk, quietly laughing to myself. A oo-worker walking by asked me what was so funny.
I told him that I was just thinking about the homeless.
He said "your sick!!"
That's what I get for being an honest person.
Having been homeless myself through two winters (in Upstate NY, no less), I know what it's about.
I never, ever, give money to beggars. That money just goes to feed an addiction (of one kind or another).
try buying them a meal if you are on your way in a fast food joint.