Don’t worry how it’s spent, always give homeless a handout, pope says

[dairygirl4u2c]

 

Don’t worry how it’s spent, always give homeless a handout, pope says

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By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — People who don’t give money to the homeless because they think it will be spent on alcohol and not food should ask themselves what guilty pleasures they are secretly spending money on, Pope Francis said.

“There are many excuses” to justify why one doesn’t lend a hand when asked by a person begging on the street, he said in an interview published the day before the beginning of Lent.

But giving something to someone in need “is always right,” and it should be done with respect and compassion because “tossing money and not looking in (their) eyes is not a Christian” way of behaving, he said.

The interview, published Feb. 28, was conducted by the monthly magazine, “Scarp de’ Tenis” (Tennis Shoes), which serves homeless and marginalized people in Milan and is run by the local and national Caritas branches. The pope was scheduled to visit Milan March 25.

Of the several questions the pope was asked, one focused on whether he thought giving money to people begging on the street was the right thing to do.

One thing people may tell themselves to feel better about not giving anything, the pope said, is “I give money and then he spends it on drinking a glass of wine.”

But, the pope said, if “a glass of wine is the only happiness he has in life, that’s OK. Instead ask yourself what do you do on the sly? What ‘happiness’ do you seek in secret?”

Or, another way to look at it, the pope said, is recognize how “you are luckier, with a house, a wife, children” and then ask why should the responsibility to help be pushed onto someone else.

The way one reaches out to the person asking for help is important, he said, and must be done “by looking them in the eyes and touching their hands.”

When encountering people who live on the street, the pope said he always greets them and sometimes inquires about their lives and background.

He always chatted with a homeless family and couple that lived next to the archbishop’s residence in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he said, and never considered getting rid of them.

When “Someone told me, ‘They’re making the chancery filthy,’ Well, the filth is within” one’s heart, he said.

It’s important to be sincere because “people who live on the streets understand right away when the other person is really interested” in them as a person or when they just feel pity, he said.

“One can look at a homeless person and see him as a person or else as if he were a dog, and they notice this different way of looking” at them, he said.

When the interviewer asked why the pope thought the poor were capable of changing the world, he said that in his experience in Buenos Aires, he saw more solidarity in the slums than in less poor neighborhoods, where “I encountered more selfishness.”

While there are many more problems in the shantytowns, “often the poor are more supportive of each other because they feel they need each other.”

Also, he said, problems are more starkly evident in the poor neighborhoods, for example with substance abuse, “you see more drugs, but only because it’s more ‘covered up’ in other neighborhoods” where users are “white-collar” abusers.

 

 

it seems more like a republican thing to refuse to give to homeless, and this site is mostly republican, so i wonder what ya'll are thinking

[havok579257]

one can not discern someone's heart.  one does not know what the homeless man will spend his money on.  one should always be given the benefit of the doubt.  i say give the money to the homeless man.  help him in his hour of need.  maybe your help could be the thing that starts to turn his life around.  maybe he see's the face of Jesus in your giving.  i say give to the homeless man unless he is specifically telling you he is going to spend his money on alcohol or drugs or prostitution.  At our death when in front of God and asked why we did not help the poor man when we could have, I doubt saying I thought he might spend it on alcohol and drugs so I did nothing is going to be an acceptable answer.

[Anomaly]

Well, I sort of question what people are getting if they read the full context of the Pope's comment.  

My dad was heavily involved in and sometimes ran St Vincent DePaul in our parish for decades.  He rarely gave them cash but gave food vouchers to individuals.  He made sure he always caried vouchers for a local grocery store.  He would very rarely give them cash directly as most has drug and or alcohol problems.   You or I would do well to give cash to charities and let them sort it out.  Homeless families often need help with rent, deposits, car repairs, etc.   

The Pope is really addressing people who use the assumption of drug or alcohol use to not look at the person.  I volunteer at a homeless cafe where they serve homeless at tables like a restaurant.  One volunteer sits at the table with them to chat with all of them, look them in the eye, and listen.  Another volunteer is the waiter and brings food, drinks, napkins, etc.   The cafe tells us the volunteer host is more important than the food.  They are so right  

Not giving money can be a way of dismissing them, as well as just tossing a buck and not seeing them can be just as dismissive.  

There is a group home for recovering alcoholics and drug users literally behind my house.  I've met many of them. Many of them begged for cash for drugs and drinks in the past.  Giving them money wouldn't have been charitable towards them.   But yes, I've bought beer for beggars at gas stations.  I made a point to  buy quality beer, not the cheapest, and just one.  

And I identify mostly as a conservative Republican and voted for Trump, so hah.

[havok579257]

8 minutes ago, Anomaly said:

Well, I sort of question what people are getting if they read the full context of the Pope's comment.  

My dad was heavily involved in and sometimes ran St Vincent DePaul in our parish for decades.  He rarely gave them cash but gave food vouchers to individuals.  He made sure he always caried vouchers for a local grocery store.  He would very rarely give them cash directly as most has drug and or alcohol problems.   You or I would do well to give cash to charities and let them sort it out.  Homeless families often need help with rent, deposits, car repairs, etc.   

The Pope is really addressing people who use the assumption of drug or alcohol use to not look at the person.  I volunteer at a homeless cafe where they serve homeless at tables like a restaurant.  One volunteer sits at the table with them to chat with all of them, look them in the eye, and listen.  Another volunteer is the waiter and brings food, drinks, napkins, etc.   The cafe tells us the volunteer host is more important than the food.  They are so right  

Not giving money can be a way of dismissing them, as well as just tossing a buck and not seeing them can be just as dismissive.  

There is a group home for recovering alcoholics and drug users literally behind my house.  I've met many of them. Many of them begged for cash for drugs and drinks in the past.  Giving them money wouldn't have been charitable towards them.   But yes, I've bought beer for beggars at gas stations.  I made a point to  buy quality beer, not the cheapest, and just one.  

And I identify mostly as a conservative Republican and voted for Trump, so hah.

food vouchers are a great idea that your dad did.  helps the homeless by giving them food.  just as good as giving them money.

[Amppax]

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it seems more like a republican thing to refuse to give to homeless, and this site is mostly republican, so i wonder what ya'll are thinking

 

Well, that's a baseless generalization. 

That being said, this is something I've struggled with. I have typically attended parishes in more urban areas. At one parish, homeless would often come to the door of our adoration chapel, looking for money. Unfortunately, it was usually the same two guys, one of whom I now know to have been a "professional" panhandler, who was not homeless, and not nearly as needy as he would claim. After a while, our pastor asked that no one give them money, but refer them to several nearby charities who would help them. 

I've given money before, I've taken people to go get food... for me, it's always really hard to know what is right to do in this situation. I think Anomaly nailed it on the head in saying that both ignoring a plea for money and giving money can be a way of dismissing the person, what is most important, I think, is to avoid dismissing them, and helping them however you think is best. 

[havok579257]

5 minutes ago, Amppax said:

Well, that's a baseless generalization. 

That being said, this is something I've struggled with. I have typically attended parishes in more urban areas. At one parish, homeless would often come to the door of our adoration chapel, looking for money. Unfortunately, it was usually the same two guys, one of whom I now know to have been a "professional" panhandler, who was not homeless, and not nearly as needy as he would claim. After a while, our pastor asked that no one give them money, but refer them to several nearby charities who would help them. 

I've given money before, I've taken people to go get food... for me, it's always really hard to know what is right to do in this situation. I think Anomaly nailed it on the head in saying that both ignoring a plea for money and giving money can be a way of dismissing the person, what is most important, I think, is to avoid dismissing them, and helping them however you think is best. 

i guess the thing i would add is why not just give them the money?  i mean do we believe God will hold it against us if we give the money to someone and then they use it for alcohol?  i would imagine he would more likely hold it against us that we did not give the money.

[Anomaly]

39 minutes ago, havok579257 said:

i guess the thing i would add is why not just give them the money?  i mean do we believe God will hold it against us if we give the money to someone and then they use it for alcohol?  i would imagine he would more likely hold it against us that we did not give the money.

If you read the entire article,  NEVER does the Pope say to always give them money.  The Post Title is misleading.  The Pope said to always give them respect which may be money spent on booze. Not all homeless are alcoholics.  Not enabling an addict or alcoholic with money is not an excuse to give nothing. 

[havok579257]

5 minutes ago, Anomaly said:

If you read the entire article,  NEVER does the Pope say to always give them money.  The Post Title is misleading.  The Pope said to always give them respect which may be money spent on booze. Not all homeless are alcoholics.  Not enabling an addict or alcoholic with money is not an excuse to give nothing. 

I was not referencing the article.  I was just speaking in general terms .

[CatherineM]

I don't give money. It's not because I'm afraid they will use it for drugs or alcohol. I don't give money because it allows them to stay on the street. They won't get help there. They have to be in a shelter or hooked up with services. 

[Selah]

You can also give food, water, and sanitary products (homeless women especially go without certain needs while on the streets, so donating supplies works wonders).

[Norseman82]

I'm a big fan of giving gift cards sold through the Manna program.  For those who are unfamiliar with what a Manna program is, many retailers return a portion of the proceeds back to the organization that sells the card, so if I buy a $20.00 Boston Market gift card through a parish school's Manna program, the parish school receives $2.80, based on the last known rate for that establishment.  That way, not only can you give help specifically for food at establishments that do not serve alcohol, the parish or parish school gets a "cut". 

[Dana Mugavero]

I don't know and you may think it's wrong but there are at least 7 junkies holding signs about needing to feed wives and kids in my area and you know they have no such people.  I pull over and ask them to change the sign and tell the truth, give them a buck, quick prayer, I'm out. THEN IT HAPPENED.  One of the guys at the off-ramp was holding a sign that read: "Not gonna lie, screwed up my life,  could use a buck or 2".  Thank You Lord.  People say don't give money to panhandlers.  But I would bet store clerks that get shot for 5 bux sort of rely on us to come through. No?

[Ice_nine]

I'm not worried about the addicts. Like ampax talked about, there are those professional panhandlers. I hate that.

Sometimes I give money. Sometimes I don't. I have pretty bad social anxiety so it's not an area of strength for me. I'm usually more generous when I'm alone because I don't have to explain to people I'm with or deal with their comments/reactions. But I try every now and then.

[dominicansoul]

Used to know homeless by their names when I worked in the big city.  One of them would wait for me on payday lol.  I think he had like 20,000 in the bank but enjoyed living life on the streets.  

[Dana Mugavero]

4 hours ago, dominicansoul said:

Used to know homeless by their names when I worked in the big city.  One of them would wait for me on payday lol.  I think he had like 20,000 in the bank but enjoyed living life on the streets.  

Yeah, did you ever see the documentary Pras Michel from the Fugees did?  Well - it was beyond amazing - but he sort of got caught up with a guy like that.  You have to see this.  Pras took no help even going to the bathroom in an alley.  Not that this is the hallmark of a good homeless documentary but it was shockingly brave.  Bless you!