Do you give to people begging in town ?

No, never - and anyway these days I don't carry much cash. One 'beggar' has been twice in court; he's receiving a fair sum in benefits. We support several charities and I donate to the local food bank. Where I live there is considerable support for the homeless - and for their dogs too.

I had abuse last week when an 'ex-soldier' was working his way along our road, trying to sell stuff door-to-door. He was absolutely charming when I answered the door but as soon as he realised I was not going to buy anything I was verbally abused. He had also treated two neighbours in the same way.

I must admit I do give money , only a pound, and I also go to the nesreyshop that sells dog food and give that , it has always been gratefully received. I have enough to be able to do this easily. I also donate to food banks every time I shop. I just always think ‘ there but for the grace of God......

How very rude and judgemental of you Social Hermit and very wrong in my case.

I used to give food and drink, but heard someone from a homeless charity say that they should be encouraged to use the local services that are there for them. That might work in a big inner city, but not where I live in a rural town where services would be a bus or train ride away, so it’s difficult to know what to do for the best.

You don't see many people begging in our town centre, and it's one of the most socially deprived areas in the country. I've seen the police often, moving them on, or taking them - where?
I always give something to the "regulars" and have a chat.
One of our sons was homeless and out of luck for some time because of mental illness. At least he had us, but chose to struggle on.
Thank God he's doing better now and he and his wife are helping others.

ps re starving dogs.
This was in France - a young woman with a hungry hound stopped me in the street and asked for money for food for her dog. Maybe she had been told that les Anglais loved dogs more than humans. I gave her a few euros but out of interest (mean of me I know) followed her to the supermarket where she bought a huge sack of fusilli. Which I use to boil up and use for both human and animal food.
So at least she was using the money sensibly.

Having worked in drug and alcohol abuse in the past you're better giving your money to the homeless centre. Money will usually go to feed a habit. Often they would rather be on the streets than be in a hostel where they are not allowed alcohol or drugs. It's a very sad situation but to give money just feeds the habit. As people have said, many turn down the offer of a meal brought for them. Some aren't even homeless and operate in gangs, having shifts on the begging locations.

I do not visit town very often, but would not give money generally, but am happy to offer hot drink and sandwich if approached.

I don’t give money, but sometimes ask if they want anything to eat. They all seem to have disappeared from my town since the first lockdown.

Spot on with your answer there

I know most of you are English, so it may be a slightly different situation here in America. Where I live, the people who are begging stand out in the street at traffic intersections, getting donations from cars stopped for red lights. Most people just ignore them, sometimes a driver rolls down the window and gives a dollar or two. It must be very dangerous for them.

I go by one rule: if the person is obviously really disabled (usually a missing leg), I'll give them something. Otherwise, I don't. A lot of them are probably drug addicts. I always have mixed feelings about it.

No

No

don't give money.you don't know whether they are real beggers or not.churches across the UK offer beds for the night and food .

Jaffacake2.. I don't give money anymore, we too have been told that there's enough space for homeless people to sleep in various shelters, and also there are a number of local churches where meals are available, our town provides food for these places at the end of each day, and various shops have a place for food donations from the public if they wish to contribute. I too have been asked for money and I have given it on this one occasion, but won't anymore, as these people sit and beg for most of the day, but as soon as 5 o'clock comes they all disappear to where ever they're lodging for the night. I do buy food and a warm drink if someone looks cold, but if I'm met with abuse, I remember the face and never bother again with that person. The majority of these people are career beggars and this is what our town is warned about, there are various shops that we can donate money to the homeless project so that money and goods are distributed fairly amongst the genuine cases, which is what's encouraged rather than giving money off the cuff. Some of these people are fakes, and good at what they do, so in all honesty it's best to avoid giving money. We also have a place that provides a room for those who want to help themselves get on the employment ladder, and become independent, as soon as this system gets abused, the person is out as they think its unfair to help someone who just wants free accommodation and food without wanting to work. It frees up space for those genuine people who wants to better their lives. Which is fair enough.

Aveline... I totally agree with you, too many of these people are fake beggars, so no I won't give to them personally, Instead I've been encouraged by the police to donate to the homeless project, where the money will go to those genuinely in need, so many of these beggars have more than the average population, they make a career out of it. It's disgusting.

We have one in our village, who gets dropped off by his wife and picked up when the shops shut. We also have a Big Issue seller who is dropped of by a man. He then goes to the neighbouring village to sell his Big Issue. Lots of these beggars are not homeless it is quite a lucrative business.

CraftyGranny, people have already pointed out on this thread that Big Issue sellers are not beggars. They are often people who’ve worked their way out of living on the streets, but still need a bit of help. They buy the magazines and sell at a profit, it’s a job. There is nothing wrong with them getting a lift to their pitch, it saves them having to use their small earnings on transport.

No
I’ve given dog food and offered drink and a sandwich. Some are polite some quite rude and one man near out Tesco express asked,
“How many b****y sandwiches am I supposed to eat?” I saw his point but I don’t do money.

I apologised to a Big Issue seller one day for not having cash on me. He told me that he had a card reader! I didn't take him up on that!

I live in a city (Bristol) but never give to beggars anywhere else I visit - London being a prime example. In London there are gangs of beggars, often Eastern European, who are both agressive and clearly not genuine homeless people. One good thing of leaving the EU is Romanian criminals will no longer be able to come here easily - they are people traffickers, sex slavers, as well as operating begging gangs. I never give money to any foreigner who is begging - some may disagree with this but I feel that they should not come to another country to beg on the streets. I have no issue with immigrants who come here for legitimate work but the "free movement of labour" policy of the EU has led to untold suffering for the poor people who are exploited by Eastern European people traffickers.

Locally, I do give small amounts of money to beggars (usually £1 or so) - we live in a nice area where aggressive begging is not tolerated so we tend to get to know our local beggars and their situations. Yes I know it is likely they will spend it on drugs or drink but, as my husband joked, the same thing we would spend it on. There are of course support services for local homeless people - however the free hostels are not always safe, particularly for women, and of course people suffering with addiction cannot be helped until they are ready to seek help. There are a number of places in our city that provide food - although this has become far more complicated during covid. We have a Streetlife team where someone can report a homeless person and where they have seen them, and a team will come to visit them to see what help they can offer.

People in our local area are fantastic - they do not just ignore our few local beggars but engage them in conversation and do their best to provide what is needed, for example a sleeping bag or clothes. I've been homeless in a foreign country in the past (The Netherlands back in the 90s whilst on a working holiday) so I do have sympathy for people in this situation - whatever the reasons for it. We were illegally camping in a wooded area near a major road - occasionally the police would wake us up in the middle of the night by shining torches in our faces and tell us to move on in the morning. I will say we never begged in another country - I consider this disgusting to say the least. We called ourselves the Manic Bush Tribe and moved location every few days - I will say we were young (20s) and it was an adventure for us.

Wow - having read the entire thread - I cannot believe some of the holier than thou crap going down in here. I really hope that those of you who have no sympathy end up homeless and/or suffering from addiction in the future - you have NO idea just how difficult this is. Someone who has an addiction cannot be helped until they are ready to seek help - obviously nobody should be rude if you offer food/drink but these people are at their wits' end. Those of you who think local homeless services can provide anything and everything in your area - you have no idea what you are talking about! There but for the grace of God go I...

It's almost impossible to second guess the circumstances of the people asking for money.
Most of us have had the potential to be homeless at some stage.
Social housing is non existent and the benefit system no longer a safety net for those in genuine need.
I worked for the CAB and heard heartbreaking and genuine stories of those who had been homeless but managed to get on their feet again.
Organised gangs of beggars are rife in my area.
The big issue is a better option if you want to support someone although like in other areas some abuse it.
A good friend got to know a local beggar very well. He had a dog and those who gave to him often seemed those who could least afford it. He had a flat and a heroin habit.
Even in my seaside town there is a well organised homeless charity, several in fact. You can phone a hot line to express concern about someone. Another charity organises packages of basics such as toiletries and basic clothing.
Provision for the vulnerable with addictions/ mental illness has reached Dickensian levels.
For those who genuinely want to help giving that money to charities who know what is needed and who by is probably the most effective thing you can do.

No I don’t, I think it is very difficult to decide if they are genuinely in need or not. There are so many fraudsters out there and this makes me very suspicious. I never buy The Big Issue either for the same reasons.

No, I don't give to beggars on the street.

You are right in offering food and a drink, and if they are genuine enough they will accept it. But to get abuse like that - that is terrible. Poor you.

Once, in South Africa, a young boy was sleeping near the entrance of the place that I used to work. When he woke up I gave him the contents of my lunch bag. He was so grateful. It was the first and last time I ever did that. Most kids wanted money to buy glue to sniff, to forget about their situation. But that child was really glad to get a meal that day.

That was the first and last time I fed anyone off the street. But no, I don't give money.

No as our city centre has collection boxes that donations of money can be put in. These are then distributed where needed