Street Beggars/homeless

[givemeaspell]

Do you give to street beggars?  We have had a woman in the past week sitting outside our local supermarket with a sign (I need help, homeless, please donate your spare change).  She had her head down with a cap on, quite thin, I don't usually give to street beggars but for some reason I felt the need, however when she lifted her head after I had placed the money in the container I could see she was clearly suffering the effects of drugs..very sad indeed.  I would have rather gone buy her a drink or some food than perhaps donating to her habit. 

[kengillard]

you sound like my daughter ele..  she can take it or leave it with no mental or physical problems.

One of my other daughters had a serious drug problem years ago......she's still alive by some miracle.. drug counsellors told me that addicts of this drug  rarely reach 30.....so I do know what I'm talking about.  

[the_great_she_elephant]

you sound like my daughter ele..  she can take it or leave it with no mental or physical problems.

One of my other daughters had a serious drug problem years ago......she's still alive by some miracle.. drug counsellors told me that addicts of this drug  rarely reach 30.....so I do know what I'm talking about.  

Thank God she made it through, Gill.:-x

I know how lucky I am that in my 'beatnik' days in London, there was so little stuff on the streets. The closest I ever got to drugs was when a rumourt went round our bedsit community that if you went to a certain pub at a certain time on a certain day, there would be someone there who could sell you some ..... shock. horror.... marijuana!

Even if the rumour had been true - which it probably wasn't - on the wages we were making, by the time we'd paid our rent and bought a few groceries we couldn't have afforded it anyway - so we stuck to our fags and Watney's Red Barrel (ale).

[margomeoz]

Remember this guy??? 

Revealed: 'Barefoot, homeless' beggar has apartment and 30 pairs of shoes

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/revealed-barefoot-homeless-beggar-has-apartment-and-30-pairs-of-sho...

I can understand that story cat if you think about it probably half of the people you mistake for beggars have never even asked for a handout, but because it makes you feel good to be giving charity to those you perceive as less fortunate you choose to see many as beggars who are not.

I was having dinner in a Spanish place in Liverpool street and there is this guy I felt was a beggar for sure sitting in the doorway on some newspaper, I said to my friends poor guy I will give him $5 for some coffee it is freezing.

I walked up to him and offered him the $5 he said no I don't want to take your money, but because it made me feel good I insisted he take it, and I think we should remember that most of the time you give to make yourself feel good not to make the receiver feel good.

Anyway he took the money and half hour later I started to ask him questions, why was he sitting there, did he have a place to go and sleep, how old is he, how long has he been on the streets.

Well it turned out he had had quite a hard life and he was the same age as me, but he was not a beggar, he owned an apartment in Pitt St probably worth more than my house and he sold souvenirs to tourists and that doorway was his pitch,

I asked him to join us for coffee he said I would love to but only if I pay for my own which he did with the $5 I had given him. 😄

So I guess it does not pay to assume no matter what a person looks like.

[i-need-a-martini]

And in case anyone is wondering, no I am not a smoker - but only because there is apparently something peculiar in my makeup that allowed me to smoke like a chimney when I was younger without ever becoming addicted.

I'm the same she-el. I smoked heaps when I was younger but never was addicted. Just grew out of it. Today I smoke occasionally..

It's well documented nowadays that addicts have a predisposition to needing to add chemicals to their body. 

[the_bob_delusion]

Whether they're druggies or not, most of us would like to help. 

I get a bit confused when I see a fat beggar whether to give him food or not? 

Anyone remembered my thread awhile back about it. 

[patchoo78]

No, I don't give them a cent.  In Australia we have a government that provides assistance.  If you truly are homeless there is help out there.  

AND I have never had someone (in Australia) ask me for money that I haven't believed was on drugs.

I'm not going to support some junkies drug habit.  Not now, not tomorrow NOT EVER.

There is no reason to be homeless and starving in Australia apart from drug use / alcohol abuse.

I support neither.

We don't get a lot of homeless where I am, if we do I don't ever see them.. No, we get the other kind of beggar who has money and a home of their own but they corner you in the shops and ask you for money. It's usually the same group of people.. One lady has been asked to move on numerous time by security for asking for money..

Once my OH got asked by someone if he had any spare cigarettes, he said "No, they only come in packs of 20 they don't give you any spares" :^O

[the_bob_delusion]

Actually this was one of my other topics awhile back if anyone remembers. I found a pack of cigarettes, perfectly fine. I don't smoke. Do I give it to someone that smokes knowing that I might be contributing to the destruction of their health or do I throw it out but essentially throwing out money.

[margomeoz]

Well bob if you should run across me and you have a spare packet please give it to me,

I will worry about my own health, which is a lot better than the health of my pocket, a pac of ciggys is $25

[the_bob_delusion]

Well bob if you should run across me and you have a spare packet please give it to me,

I will worry about my own health, which is a lot better than the health of my pocket, a pac of ciggys is $25

But what if you get cancer, then it could be my fault. I don't want to live with the guilt 

[margomeoz]

Bob if I get cancer the fault would be entirely mine or just fate, I would never presume to blame another person for my choice of life style.

Mind you I do know a number of people who think as you do including my children who refuse to bring me duty free ciggys, that is when you could bring duty free they stopped that last September.