Homeless People

[Autumn Dusk]

cheap granola bars are good to give out, too, and they're lightweight and portible

[kujo]

My roommate's study partnet told a story the other day that involved him buying food for a homeless person and spitting and peeing in it before giving it to him. I let loose on the kid and had to be physically restrained when he said "Dude, they're homeless. They're just a bunch of <cuss word> bums...they don't even count as humans."

[picchick]

I always feel bad when I do not give spare change out to homeless people.

However, I help them in other ways. I give to local shelters. I pray for them. I work very hard for the money I get. I don't spend it carelessly because I don't have money to spend carelessly. Just as I do not know know those people's situations, they do not know mine. There have been times that those people who are asking for money have judged me and assumed that I could give them something. I had nothing to give.

I do the best I can when I can.

[Autumn Dusk]

[quote]There have been times that those people who are asking for money have judged me and assumed that I could give them something. I had nothing to give[/quote]

I HA[i][/i]TE H[i][/i]ATE HAT[i][/i]E this.
I worked my way though college with two jobs and I was going to the bigger city near mine for a free concert at another college for class. I didn't have a car (my classmates didn't like me) and I literally scrounged for change for the bus...I literally looked at every inch of the laundry room, around as many vending machines as I could find and bummed a quarter off my roommate so I could get a day pass (cheaper than bus-by-bus). When I went on one I was the only one on there...a guy was 50cents short and asked me for money. I didn't have any. The bus driver and him cursed at me for being a selfish, bratty private school diva. I literally had not a cent to my name (I had my emergency bank card but...yeah...you get the idea).
I didn't even have money to get dinner...I brought an apple I nicked from the dining hall.

I agree that the lack of charity that those who want charity is sometimes deplorable.

Edited June 5, 2008 by Autumn Dusk

[Galloglasses]

[quote name='kujo' post='1559979' date='Jun 5 2008, 04:21 PM']My roommate's study partnet told a story the other day that involved him buying food for a homeless person and spitting and peeing in it before giving it to him. I let loose on the kid and had to be physically restrained when he said "Dude, they're homeless. They're just a bunch of <cuss word> bums...they don't even count as humans."[/quote]
Kujo gains respect from me for this. (Partly because its something I doubt I'd have the brass to do)

[rckllnknny]

what would make you think bcuz they are homeless that they may hav a problem. if you loaned a co-worker you dont know very well money are you sure your money wont go to cocaine??
(trying not to sound stand off-ish)
i on the other hand will giv them money. absolutely. life is hard. i was homeless at one point in time. (pretty close to it at others) but even homeless someone is worse off than i am and i would still give them all my change in pocket. beside if they hav money for booz/heron then at least they wont b robbin someone.
lol. giving them food is a very good idea too tho. my mom used to do that too. and food is more important than money anyway tho
and ive heard where people are stranded they will go buy them bus tickets and stuff.
but i guess (?) the point would not to ljust ook the other way when you pass by??

Edited June 5, 2008 by rckllnknny

[kujo]

Thanks Gallo. Sometimes my overabundance of "brass" gets me into trouble.

Such as the other night with Soc...

[Autumn Dusk]

I was homeless for a time. Never on the streets, but I went without a home for several months.

Money is a dangerous weapon. I wouldn't give a co-worker money unless I knew them well, I could spare it for a couple of days, and I knew exactly what it was for. On one hand I could help someone get out of a bad situation or I could allow someone to buy a drug that's related to shootings, crime and death. I just won't do that.

Otherwise, if I had the money, I'd give staples...like food or instant washcloths or toothpaste or soap.

And, honestly, their is a point when you just have to look the other way. General prayers are sometimes all you can do. People have their own responsibilities and its up to them to decide what is their excess.

[rckllnknny]

[quote name='prose' post='1559923' date='Jun 5 2008, 04:08 PM']On Whyte ave (One of our main streets), there are things that look like parking meters that you can put change in to help the homeless. The money goes to shelters and stuff.

Personally, if I have money I give it. It is not my business what they spend it on once it is gone. I think it is rude to give money to people and then expect to know where it goes. If you give money, you are leaving it to their discretion. It isn't your money anymore at that point.

In any case, I give money and food. Depends on what I have or what I am asked for. I am more likely to give money to someone working for it (musically or selling "Spare Change" newspapers - a newspaper for homeless people to sell)[/quote]

i like this post.
yeh and the fact that if choose to give money to homeless people is an idea of my own too since it is my money to begin with too. kudos. if you are not one to come into much contact with alot of homeless people giving to shelters is a good idea in lincoln i stayed at the shelter off and on for almost three years and 90 percent of that mission is built on donations they remodeled it bcuz they had so much money and donations they dint know what to do with. it looks like starbucks in there now with flat screen tvs and everything. some people say it is the best place to eat in town!!


quote/ by catheryn
I have slips of paper that list where they can get help, with times that free meals are provided. It's hard not to give them money, especially when it is -20 degrees outside. If I don't have my slips with me, I tell them I give my money to the Bissel and Marian Centre (local homeless shelters), and they should go there and get help.

We are having increasing trouble with aggressive panhandlers here, and they have been looking at laws in other places that have helped, including in the US. There was a report out of San Francisco that giving them money is what makes them aggressive in the first place. When we give them money, they start thinking they are entitled to receive it, and then when someone doesn't give them what they feel they are entitled to, they get angry. It's kind of like feeding alligators. When you feel guilty not giving them something, just remember that they might use it for drugs, alcohol, sex, or it just might get aggressive with the next person they see who doesn't give them anything.

You can support the poor and homeless by donating your time and money to charities that take care of them. On the street give them anything but money. We have homeless that live in our alley during the summer months. I buy sacks of buns or bunches of bananas to give out as I run the gauntlet on the way home from church. I also tell them my husband doesn't let me carry cash in this neighborhood, so that they won't be inclined to try to mug me. I hate (don't hate, appreciate) (don't hate (don't hate, appreciate), appreciate) (don't hate (don't hate, appreciate) (don't hate (don't hate, appreciate), appreciate), appreciate) to have to hurt one of them.
unquote/


lol. that is y they are agreesive. no offense you would hav to be there to understand. when im downtown waiting for my bus i associate with many many homeless people. it is that attitude that tends to cause them to be so furious with the rest of the world. no offense. you would hav to be ther to understand. if yo walked into applebees wouldnt you b a little mad if they threw you a sack of buns and a bunch of bananas?? lol. most homeless people in lincoln arent allowed at the shelters here. thats the reason they are homeless. and anyone anywhere could mug you. someone here got mugged down the street in the church parking lot in a nice neighborhood. im not mad at you. tho.


but at least ppls intentions are in the right place. and i still feel prayer are the most important thing you can do in this life. just me tho.

Edited June 5, 2008 by rckllnknny

[rckllnknny]

and sometimes all you can do is look away.

[Autumn Dusk]

Giving someone food in a dining establishment is WAY different than giving someone food who's begging for money to get food.

Yes, there are many homless who aren't served by the physical building of a shelter. Some are mentally disturbed and won't come near people. Shelters sometimes (and often though extentions) run bag lunches where sanwiches and cookies are made by volunteers and handed out under bridges and thurofares where some of the more dangerous persons "reside".

[rckllnknny]

qoute/
Giving someone food in a dining establishment is WAY different than giving someone food who's begging for money to get food.


how??
some pple are homeless bcuz of unfortunate circumstances other than the problems of thier own. hav u ever walked 6 miles in the freezing sno with no socks starving with no where to go and with no where to help you while the rest of the world is at applebees or at home watching cable tv?? y not give them some of the graces God gives you
??

[mommas_boy]

I try to get them food or clothing, first, but if I have to choose between not giving them anything and giving them cash, I opt to give cash. As I see it, the potential of that act of charity to lead to the salvation of their souls outweighs the potential for them to use it on something other than what they need. To me, it's all about showing love.

[Autumn Dusk]

[quote name='rckllnknny' post='1560128' date='Jun 5 2008, 07:50 PM']qoute/
Giving someone food in a dining establishment is WAY different than giving someone food who's begging for money to get food.
how??
some pple are homeless bcuz of unfortunate circumstances other than the problems of thier own. hav u ever walked 6 miles in the freezing sno with no socks starving with no where to go and with no where to help you while the rest of the world is at applebees or at home watching cable tv?? y not give them some of the graces God gives you
??[/quote]

Rick, you're making big assumptions about my life. I've already stated that I know what its like to not know the next place I could sleep...to wonder even if I would have a roof over my head the next day.

The rest of the world? Seriously, every poor person is competing against every other poor person. While I sometimes resented people who had more than me, I often knew that many people had less. There was a time when everything I owned was contained in a duffel. So don't give me the "you don't understand" speech. I'm from new england and have delt with my fair share of being out in the cold. I've survived winters with a thin coat and no gloves becuase I had no money and nobody believed me when I said I needed help...simply becuase I was young, white, skinny and cute. (I'm just saying that b/c its a steryotype). I wasn't impared in any way they could see, i didn't smoke or smell of drugs or alcohol so people didn't help me. And that's just in my adult life...I won't go further than that.

i've taken the bus before...many times...I stated in the above how someone who was poor verbally attacked me for not giving when I had nothing. And at that point I would of been really grateful if someone'd given me a granola bar, in all honesty, even if I wasn't begging.

You don't know what I can or can't give. Right now I can't give anything, and I'm living off of people's graciousness. When I have a full-time job and a place of my own I CAN give...but only how I see fit.

[XIX]

I was homeless for a night. Long story short, I misplaced my car. Literally. I parked on a street a mile away from an event I wanted to attend, and I ran as fast as I could to get there. Couldn't remember where I parked. I searched through the streets of the city for hours. About 5 hours. Nothing.

The trains were closed.

I was basically stranded in the city. It was cold and misty. I was wet. I was wearing some decent clothes, but not enough for the weather. I ended up sleeping in a part-a-john, party because it was slightly warmer. Partly because I wanted protection from the elements. Let me tell you I was miserable. I was so uncomfortable that I forgot about the $1500 (worth of the car) and the necessary transportation that I was suddenly missing. I just wanted the trains to open in the morning so I could buy a ticket back home. Holy macarel. I was kinda scared. I had trouble getting much sleep.

Fortunately, I got back home. I found my car the next day. Point of the story, it gave me a much deeper appreciation for what I had. I can't possibly fathom what it must be like to be homeless. To be in those elements on a daily basis. My day was cold, but it wasn't that cold. People can be homeless in 10 degree blizzards. Holy cow. It's pretty scary from where I sit.

This story isn't really meant to be taken as an opinion on the current debate topic. It's more of a tangential story that I felt like sharing.

Parenthetically, that weekend was the last time I cried. About ten weeks ago.