Beggars CAN be choosers!

Well, that does take the biscuit - or rather reject it doesn't it!

I would not be inclined to donate! We have generally followed the 'never give them cash' rule.

I do buy food or coffee for homeless people but I am always worried they may have an allergy or something, I usually ask before I buy and have never been told they would prefer cash! I also follow the general rule of never giving cash.

Cups of coffee from Costa coffee are always welcomed in our town. Or a basic sandwich.
So far nobody has asked me for cash.
Well......a busker did once, but I suppose he was not homeless.

It's bit rude, isn't it?

Why not a sign saying 'Cash appreciated, bills to pay' or something similar?

A bit choosy sounding, but perhaps too many people have decided to give them coffee and/or sandwiches - how many coffees can they drink in a any hour without feeling hyped up or needing to sit very near the loo?

A friend is a church elder and sets aside time to visit her "little list" one after the other. She says that she is swimming in tea by the time she is finished.

I give cash if asked, they may want cigarettes , how many coffees can anyone drink in a day

Do many homeless people have bills to pay Ana ? I struggled to think of what those might be.

I wont give money in case I am fuelling a drug habit.

It is this sort of thing that make me very wary of giving at all in case this is how they make a living . Call me hard hearted if you like but there it is.

I prefer to support my local shelter where the money goes on food, resettlement etc .

Perhaps they have fines to pay, nanaandgrampy - for begging!

I gave cash to a homeless man a few years ago and later saw him coming out of an off-licence clutching a pack of lagers.

There may be an element of truth in that, Ana. I used to work for a solicitor who had a lot of street women as his clients. We used to see the same women coming in for Court time after time and I asked his clerk why. She said they go to Court, get fined, then go back on the street to earn money to pay the fines, and get picked up again. They were locked into a spiral of defeat.

Greggs sell 'gift cards' so someone could use them for food when necessary. I don't know if other chains do this.

Why should we judge them?

I expect they get too much coffee and sandwiches, which is nice in a way, won't go hungry, but we all need some cash.
I may buy a few beers if I ever became homeless.
The trouble is, for the general public, telling who is a genuine case and who isn't is a headache.Many in my nearby town are suspect and have been seen getting into cars with their dogs by teatime.
Begging can be done by anybody who is prepared to do it after all, although it always seems a harder job than working in many ways IMHO.

Anniebach I don't think anyone is judging them. All the homeless charities I know recommend never giving cash, which is why I always ask if they want something to eat or a hot drink before I buy it.

It is a fact that statistically many homeless people have an alcohol problem. One that I talked to a few times used to be a police sergeant. Alcoholism caused him to lose his job, then his house and family. He ended up on the streets until finally he was found dead in a shop doorway one morning.

It's not kimd to say we are judging Annie as many of us do give food, warm drinks and clothes to these people. It's simply that asking for cash is probably going to fuel an alcohol problem and the charities know what they're talking about when they say not to give cash.

It appears to be drugs and/or alcohol here. I have not bought anybody sandwiches for a long time. I would never give cash.

When I was working in central London I saw a young girl begging daily for years on end outside the same tube station, going steadily downhill. She was on drugs, the track marks at times were visible. I would think that she was probably dead by the time she was 30. Very sad.

Sadly, they may have drugs to buy

And an alcoholic if they can't have a drink can have a convulsion and die . That's how it is. Do these charities provide drying out clinics? No because too costly.

It is very dangerous for an alcoholic to go dry , dry or drinking both kill.

Well that's fine Anniebach, you go ahead and give them money, or even alcohol, the rest of us will follow the advice of the charities most involved - and with a better knowledge of what helps and what doesn't.

I stopped giving money to beggars because of the advice of the various charities who work with homeless people. I trust them to be doing their best and know far more than I could about what is appropriate. I buy sandwiches and coffee and have never seen the sign that the OP mentions. As for what these charities do, Thames Reach, for example, which has very good online advice as to why you shouldn't give cash, has an extensive programme of projects which do not stop at giving this advice or even stop at providing temporary shelter but in addition tackle the causes of the homelessness in a variety of ways such as providing training and working opportunities. But, so far as this thread is concerned, they also offer rehabilitation services for people with substance abuse problems -so Anniebach I don't think you are being fair or accurate in your criticisms of the charities and the advice and services they offer. I never judge homeless people, I know enough to know( as many of us do) that there will almost always be a very sad or heartbreaking story behind their homelessness.

Old woman, no one is more involved than the mother of an alcoholic

I did not criticise the charities,

You made a very blanket comment Anniebach which was inaccurate about every charity I know (which clearly isn't all of them but some of the biggest) that works with homeless people. I'm sorry if your child hasn't had the support they needed but that doesn't mean no-one gets support or that the advice re giving cash is not the right advice.

There's couple of Romanian women who seem to take it in turns to sit outside our local Post office . They cry and wail and hold out a paper cup for money. When they've finished crying and wailing they can be seen on their mobile phones or smoking. I do not give them money .