Would you trust a homeless person?

[easyguy]

Would you trust someone who is homeless? As in, if a homeless man on the sidewalk for example were to display a sign that read "Need food & money, God bless", and appeared feeling miserable, would you be trustworthy of his intentions and show your generosity, or would you ignore him, assuming that he is being deceitful?

[Biffy]

If I have change I give it to someone in need like that it's up to them what they do with it.

 

I especially give out money if they make me laugh.

 

One guy asked for £1 as he was saving up for a Porsche.

 

I couldn't give that guy ENOUGH money!

 

I think I may have gone off topic.

[Mythical_Suicide]

Eh it all depends on if i'm feeling generous or not. Knowing most homeless people here in my area they never end up buying food instead they buy booze and such. No offense to anyone but im not supporting someones habit.

[daredevil]

My dad works as a person who makes thing for the government, state whatever, they build stuff.. and when they were making the new street in our city they often saw the same beggers etc on the street. So some day one of these dudes came to my father and asked for a cigarette, he told him no! then the beggers dude told him "Told ya, anyways we have enough" and then he opened his jacked and showed off 100 cigarettes or more to my father.. so they don't always have good intentions..

[rocio]

You never can know whether the person is really hungry or not. I never give change, but if the person is looking really miserable I will buy him some fries or a bagel or something. Also, I always smile at homeless people. Many of them are mentally ill and the fact that they are treated like crap (ignored, glared at, made fun of...) all day long just magnifies their illness. I like to give them a smile that says, "hey buddy, I don't hate you".

[agent1607307371]

I'll give them 50p.

 

I hate to think that it could be me or someone I love, and if they are ripping me off then it's only 50p.

[PinkValiant]

If they ask for change, I'd rather give them food. After all, they tell me they need the money for that.

[ImThatGirl]

There are a couple of exits off the interstates where I live. The same people stand there week after week after week.

 

I've heard so many rumors about them making off with lots of money. No, I do not open my window to a stranger or give them anything. I feel terribly for them but don't trust them. Just don't.

 

There are many facilities that help homeless people or even foodbanks for people that have no food. They can go there, right?

[Daligal83]

It's impossible to know what they will do with that money. Some homeless people are just regular people like us who have run into trouble, some are mentally ill, some have substance abuse problems, etc. I tend not to give money, since I have no idea what category this person falls into. I see a lot of homeless people around where I have my internship, so usually I'll give them my lunch if I've packed one that day. I really want to take a homeless person out to lunch someday, but I'm nervous about it since I have no idea who this person is.

[Clementine orange]

Depending on what country you are in, if it's the west (North America, Western Europe) then you are probably feeding an addiction.

Here in Canada, there a many, many soup kitchens, food banks and the like so I seriously doubt they are hungry.

The whole thing is really quite sad.

Your dollar would go alot farther donated to an agency that assists homeless people get on their feet. It does take a hard heart to turn them down though.

[the yang to the worlds yin]

I trust their intentions, however I do not stop to give them money. If I have some food in my car, I'll give it to them. I just feel that they probably are good people who got themselves into a bind, however I think I'd rather give them the number to a shelter and an employment agency.

 

I mean teach a man to fish...

[sweetheart21]

What about you easyguy? Do you always trust them?

 

I used to give a homeless guy near my work money in my lunch break everyday. I didnt have much myself but I felt sorry for him and would chat to him. One day I saw someone give him a $50 note! And I realised he probably is making quite a bit of money.

[AwdreeHpburn]

I had a friend who would say, "I'm gonna go fly a sign." Meaning he was going to go stand at a freeway exit with a sign that read WILL WORK FOR FOOD or something similiar. His parents were totally loaded. He did it for fun or to get at his parents.

 

I used to bartned here in the states and there was this one guy who used to come in pretty regularly and buy rounds for everyone and brag about how much he'd made that day holding a sign.

 

There is no reason someone who is that bad off would HAVE to ask for money in that capacity. If they are unable to eat, there are shelters ALL over this country and in Canada and the UK. AND, whilst there are all kinds of levels of homelessness and mental disorders etc., there are ALL kinds of programmes to help.

 

There is really never a need to give money directly to a person. Donate to a homeless shelter or volunteer your time.

[easyguy]

What about you easyguy? Do you always trust them?...

 

I offer words, not things. It does not matter if I trust the person or not. If at most I wish them luck for the future, I know that I am doing the slightest bit of good. Because while 75 cents can last a bus fare, giving someone compassionate advice can resonate for a while. It is just something I am getting into the habit of doing.

[Clementine orange]

I offer words, not things. It does not matter if I trust the person or not. If at most I wish them luck for the future, I know that I am doing the slightest bit of good. Because while 75 cents can last a bus fare, giving someone compassionate advice can resonate for a while. It is just something I am getting into the habit of doing.

 

I really like this idea. I'm gonna do that too. New Years resolution, thanks easyguy

[xprincessbugx]

I trust all homeless people.... and I make them fight for beer!!

[gfein347]

I live right in the middle of the city and there are homeless people everywhere. Most of the time, I just ignore them completely because I found that if you give to one, a lot more will see and then you've got a lot of people asking for money.

 

I like Awdree's idea of giving money to a homeless shelter, because it is much harder for someone to deceive a homeless shelter than it is to deceive a person off the streets.

[dogheadma]

We've all got our crosses to bear in this life. I can't help them anymore than they can help me. I'm not a doctor or a charity or an employer. If it's something one feels strongly about then I guess donating to charity would be the best route to take, maybe Red Cross or something, but in all honesty, I generally trust them less than I do the homeless people.

[itsallgrand]

What a weird question. I don't trust anyone I am just meeting.

 

This thread actually makes me kinda sad. I guess it depends where you are coming from - geographically and your own life history - but it is a sad fact that homeless people become the spitting ground for those with more.

 

It doesn't matter why someone is where they are at. And there isn't a question if you should give money or not. Hey, if I walked up to you and asked for money would you feel the little internal dilemma inside of what to say? I've got a job and an apartment, so you are gonna treat me differently. That is poopy.

'Cause I really could use the money too.

 

Where you live makes no difference either. People are people. Period.

 

This issue is very personal to me. Some good intentions need to be helt up to reality though. Stopping now before my mouth gets me into trouble on the board. peace.