Do You Ever Give Money To Panhandlers

[bckrazy]

In my experience, I have known kids who ran away and were homeless for a short while. This could be completely different in other cities, but in almost any big city in Cali, there are tons of homeless shelters. They feed them, clothe them, set them up for job interviews, etc.. and not in ratty clothing, in nice clothing!

I think it's just as sad to think of homeless people as hopeless as it is to think of them as lazy.

I know from personal experience with really close friends, that there IS a system to fall back on in this country (in most areas). It isn't perfect. But much of the time the fact is, it's easier to sit around and ask for money than it is to get up and get clothing & food, become free of drugs, and add to society. I really feel for people who are briefly in a bad time in their lives, and I understand that. But to actually LIVE for an extended period of time on the street, means something to me. It means this person either needs mental help, or is doing drugs/alcohol, because shelters do not tolerate druggies and won't hand out money.

[carole]

In NZ we have a good enough welfare system IMO to make sure most people are not totally going without, i do however appreciate there are certain circumstances that no matter what, people do end up living on the streets, however having said that we have young ones who just do not like the rules at home, up and leave and become homeless, IMO they are choosing this lifestyle,and my empathy is somewhat not to easy to give in these situations,but again each individual situation is different and we should not always be so quick to judge, one never knows when the shoe might be on the other foot as we say here, in other words when you yourself could face being just that homeless, it can happen to anyone from any walk of life, i think if we keep that in mind one can always find a few cents to spare to help those less well off than ourselves.

[lv4dogs]

I've been following this thread closely.

I have been there & done it, not that I am proud of it like I said before but each & every response affects me in some way. I'd love to reply to almost every post on this thread but I can't. Not only does it hurt (not all of it hurts though), but it would take too long. I want to say a BIG thank you to those of you that are not "bashing" the homeless in one way or another.

I don't like seeing homeless people with animals either, but I do understand it. It must be a very lonely life, and they probably need all the companionship they can get.

You couldn't be more right. As long as the animal is well cared for I have no problems with a homeless persona having a companion.


Here's a serious quote (with a little bit of humor at the end)
Don't judge a person until you walk a mile in their shoes; that way, you'll be a mile away, and you'll have their shoes - Frieda Norris.

[Cataholic]

WOW! Some of these responses are a bit surprising. I do like that saying, "there but for the grace of God, go I".

Some of these responses remind me of the argument you hear in domestic violence cases, and the battered woman (usually woman) situation. Maybe these women just like the abuse??? CAUSE, if they DIDN'T like it, they would have left the situation long ago, right?

Life just isn't that simple.

[BOBS DAD]

In my experience, I have known kids who ran away and were homeless for a short while. This could be completely different in other cities, but in almost any big city in Cali, there are tons of homeless shelters. They feed them, clothe them, set them up for job interviews, etc.. and not in ratty clothing, in nice clothing!

I think it's just as sad to think of homeless people as hopeless as it is to think of them as lazy.

I know from personal experience with really close friends, that there IS a system to fall back on in this country (in most areas). It isn't perfect. But much of the time the fact is, it's easier to sit around and ask for money than it is to get up and get clothing & food, become free of drugs, and add to society. I really feel for people who are briefly in a bad time in their lives, and I understand that. But to actually LIVE for an extended period of time on the street, means something to me. It means this person either needs mental help, or is doing drugs/alcohol, because shelters do not tolerate druggies and won't hand out money.

bc...
you speak from "your experience" which is certainly valuable. But you should also consider that at the tender age of 18, your experience is often somewhat limited. And yes, society often reaches out and makes a greater effort to turn around the lives of our young people who have gone astray. It only makes sense... for many reasons. First off, they haven't strayed too far from beaten path for too long to be considered "a lost cause". Secondly, it is in society's interest to correct a rightable wrong, given that a lifelong investment in social welfare and perhaps incarceration (jail) is far more expensive than wayward youth programs and job training.

But a middle aged man/woman, or a family displaced, dysfunctional and uneducated is another matter! And yes... oftentimes they "are mentally impaired as well" - this only makes matters worse and even less appealing to the established existing programs. I used to wish that "somebody" would take care of these people. I mean GOD, they are just difficult to even "see" let alone interact with. Then I grew older and saw more of life and realized "I am 'somebody'".

[K9soul]

The deinstitutionalization acts (I think in the 70s?) put a lot of mentally disabled and ill people onto the streets, the government would no longer pay for their uptake as long as they didn't seem an outright danger to society. My brain is a bit foggy but I remember my psych professor in college talking a lot about this, and how it ended up that a lot of the homeless that live in the streets and continue to do so for so long are often mentally ill and disabled. Of course not all, there is no blanket statement that can be said one way or the other in my opinion, but shelters and services often have limits on how long a person can use them, so mentally disabled are kinda SOL unless they are considered bad enough or dangerous enough to be in a mental ward..

Just a something to consider. My great uncle received a head wound in WWII and had been somewhat mentally disabled since then. If he hadn't had his mother around to house and take care of him he may have been one of those out on the streets.

Just one perspective on it: http://www.interactivist.net/housing...ization_1.html

[AbbyMom]

The deinstitutionalization acts (I think in the 70s?) put a lot of mentally disabled and ill people onto the streets, the government would no longer pay for their uptake as long as they didn't seem an outright danger to society.

Exactly right! My college friend was working for the State of Ohio during the Reagon administration with the institutions for the mentally disabled when the funds were cut. She transferred to another job, but those in the institutions...well they went out on the streets. Hundreds of them.

Most of them were schizophrenic and needed daily medications to cope. Without a support mechanism, they wouldn't take their meds.

Unless their families were willing to take on this daily burden, their mental illness overcame them ...most of them became homeless quickly and were reduced to panhandling.

These people are not runaways. They will never be able to hold a job.

I think they deserve our compassion. You may decide to withhold your change, but think...

...there but for the grace of God go I.

You don't have to be religious to understand that part of the difference between any Pet Talker and a panhandler is not necessarily under anyone's control. One does not choose to be mentally ill nor can one choose a caring family.

~