Quoting ~*~Modern*Day*Delilah~*~:" Honestly, I don't think either right away- I always think "Is this guy who is holding up a sign begging ... [snip!] ... after that initial fear of being murdered, I think "Maybe they need food"....I don't know...I'm an smurf I guess lol "

I do too. That and I'm hardly ever alone. I usually have a child with me and I'm just not willing to put them into a potentially dangerous situation. Having said that, we have a homeless man who stands at a busy intersection with a sign. I've given him coffee and money before. I wish they weren't all the way down here though. There's no shelter. I wonder where he sleeps/stays when he isn't panhandling? It's sad.

Quoting Sarah Bare-ah♡:" I feel really bad for them and wish I could help them all."

me too!

It depends.
If they're old, I feel bad for them and figure they're vets, have health issues, and frankly have a smurffy or no family.

If they're young and able-bodied? Not so much. I know things are bad right now, but there are always jobs that can be done. There's also help out there. I wonder why they're asking for food when around here, there are several soup kitchens, shelters, etc. and the homeless qualify for food stamps.
Maybe I'm jaded because I've known several people who are/have been homeless and it's their own fault because they didn't try hard enough.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Mama Rice:</b>" I will not give a homeless person money, however I will buy them food and a few times I went into the ... [snip!] ... expensive, I drive a 2005 VW Passat) and pull out an IPhone and start counting money. I was pissed and am admittedly jaded now."</blockquote>




Yep. I know people who have homes and such and stand on a corner because they make more doing it.

It's actually illegal here now. They have donation boxes where you can drop off money for the homeless.

<blockquote><b>Quoting ℳonster's ℳom:</b>" Honestly I just hope they don't walk up to me. I am always with my daughter and have pretty bad anxiety ... [snip!] ... her, but just in general. I've had a few bad experiences with homeless people that have made me very wary to trust them."</blockquote>




I have too.

One time when I was going to a concert downtown, I had a man walk up to me and ask for money. I really didn't have any and I told him that. Well he followed us to the venue talking about how he ran downtown and he would kill us. Just at that time, a cop on a horse was there. We ran to him and told him what happened and he detained him.

I've also had the SAME couple ask me 3 times in a day for money with the same sob story. Down the road from my house they asked for money for gas...I gave them 3 dollars. They showed up to my house later on! Said they were hungry too and I offered them food. They declined. I seen them again at Kmart and they asked again for gas money because their car was out in the parking lot. (I seen them leave sans car. They were walking..) I ran in to them other times too. I just ignored them.

I will actually lose sleep thinking about the homeless when it is exceptionally cold outside.

Quoting Lauralie89:" <blockquote><b>Quoting lovinthem04:</b>" I think "He is probably a Vet" it makes me ... [snip!] ... That's what I think. I sit there for a minute and wonder "what events in their life have led them to this point?""

My Dad was homeless for a bit. He said "You really dont appreciate the value of a dollar until you are eating out of a trash can. Dont waste food, because it really sucks to know that the next day you may not have any food. Dont ever take food for granted." It was heartbreaking. My Dad IS an alcoholic, and I admit that. But my Dad is the hardest working person Ive ever met. He was raised around alcohol. His body would probably go into shock if he quit. He could be drop dead drunk and get home from the bar at 230, and wake up still drunk at 530 and go to work. He has worked his ass off his entire life. I have pity because not everyone knows the stories behind the person asking for money. Yes my Dad drinks, but do people even care how he got there? Do they even care how yeah, if he quit he'd probably die? Do they even ask about his job? No, people pass judgment instead. I just think a lot of people need perspective. Yes, a lot of people take advantage and arent really poor, but thats not the majority to be honest.

I generally feel sorry they are in the position but I have mixed feelings. There is this guy that walks around town everyday with his big ol' sack only problem is, he owns a house and has made a career out of pan handling. Makes me wonder how many legit homeless people there really are.

What gives anyone the right to assume they know anything about a person in that position? I give all the time, almost every time.

I give. That's just what I DO. Even if they have chosen that life, it's damn hard, living on the streets.

I also pray for them, but prayer, to me, is worthless without DOING SOMETHING, if you can. I believe in being an ANSWER to a prayer.

There aren't any panhandling homeless people around here (it's a really small town), but I saw TONS of homeless people when I lived in Hawaii. I know that some of them--possibly a majority of them--were homeless by choice. They liked the freedom of not being tied down to a specific home or job. Some of them were retired military, who got regular paychecks and didn't go hungry or get cold (since it's Hawaii). Most of these weren't the sign-holding type who asked for money, though.

I rarely give anything directly to a homeless person, mainly because of safety concerns (since my kids are usually with me) and because I rarely have cash. Also, in my hometown, all of the panhandlers were well known among locals, and were not homeless or even poor at all. They just hung out by the interstate to get the out of towners. One of them hung out outside a grocery store and pretended to be blind all day, only to get in his car and drive away every night. lol

I meant to add that I do give to churches and charities that help out homeless people--I just don't feel comfortable giving to them directly, thanks to all the scary stories on the news.  

Quoting ~Julie Blue Eyes~:" What gives anyone the right to assume they know anything about a person in that position? I give all ... [snip!] ... pray for them, but prayer, to me, is worthless without DOING SOMETHING, if you can. I believe in being an ANSWER to a prayer."

agreed.

Quoting Jude ♥ JGL:" <blockquote><b>Quoting Jennybananna:</b>" It really depends. Usually my thought is ... [snip!] ... made me sick. "</blockquote> I'm sorry but how ignorant. Most people aren't willing to hire someone with no address."

THIS 

Guess im scrooge here but when I usually see them, especially around here with all the job openings, my first thought is " Oh great, another person trying to rip people off".. I've known a few people who stood outside walmart by the stop light and claimed they were homeless and made a bunch of money off of people. and it really pisses me off when they have their kid next to them helping them do it..

Quoting Elovetta (Aura&Luna):" Guess im scrooge here but when I usually see them, especially around here with all the job openings, ... [snip!] ... and made a bunch of money off of people. and it really pisses me off when they have their kid next to them helping them do it.."

it is frustrating to see people who are dishonest but I try not to let those examples cloud my mind and prevent me from caring about others.

The large majority of homeless people are suffering from mental illness that is so bad that it affects their ability to be functional, productive, working members of society. There are many factors that play a role in where they've ended up and how they got there and I try to always keep that in mind and remind myself that I've been very fortunate in my life. I haven't been dealt the hand they have and while I may have chosen a different path had I been given the same circumstances, I still am in no place to hold harsh judgements regarding the choices they have made. IDK, maybe I'm too soft but I don't think so. I recognize the fact that alot of these people probably have made some piss poor choices in their lives (be it drugs, alcohol, etc..) but that doesn't take away from the fact that they are still human beings and deserve to be treated as such. That doesn't mean I believe they should receive handout after handout but as I said, many of these people are severely mentally ill and I believe that at least in the United States, our mental health system and the resources available are seriously lacking. Maybe if we had a better system and more resources available to these people, we would see a better outcome in society in general. There is an awful stigma attached to mental illness and because "they" appear to be "normal" and display behaviors that are not socially acceptable, it is hard for people to view them as sick and in need of help. It is much easier for us to say "go get a job" or to think that if they would just quit being so weird or "crazy" them maybe they could get a job. It's much easier said than done.

with that said, I do understand where you're coming from when you speak about people who stand outside with a sign just trying to make a quick buck, especially when those people really aren't in need and may actually even have a job, a car, a house etc......but I think those people are actually few and far between. When I give someone money, I remember that I've made the decision to give money to someone I perceive as being in need. It is not up to me at that point to dictate how they should spend that $5 I just gave them. If they spend it on beer, so be it....that's on them, but that doesn't change the fact that I was attempting to do something kind for a fellow human being and that's what matters to me  

didn't mean to get all carried away there