Money or food to beggars ?

I've always given money - only a pound or two. Deciding not to give anything in case they spend it on drink or drugs always sounds like the Victorian idea of the undeserving poor. We used to have a young chap who sat outside the shops with his dog and I always gave him something for the dog.

I’m never sure. We hear about some people who make a lot of money from begging and then get picked up in a flash car at the end of the day. I don’t know if it’s true. But some people are obviously cold and homeless. Maybe drugs take away the pain. I don’t know but I would give food or drink in preference to money. It’s something that should never happen on our streets.

Always money. If they use that to buy something to help them feel better for a while, so be it.
I made the mistake of telling a homeless person my name. Now when she sees me she shouts out at the top of her voice 😂

Yes I always ask if the person needs food/a hot drink first but if they only want money I give money. I think is good to engage with them like this in order to establish what they need, just throwing money in a dish or cap is not great. They are human beings who have fallen through the cracks. It could happen to any of us.

There are 2 men, obviously a bit down on their luck,who frequent a Costa in a big town near us. They both have the latest mobile phone model, much better than mine???
On the other hand, along the pavement
there, a man played Dave Brubeck’s Take Five on his saxophone. I put a bit of money into his bowl as I enjoyed the music and talent.

I used to work in a city centre with lots of ‘homeless’ people. I used to serve a lot of people who worked in the shelters/street workers/support workers and they always said never give them money, ever. You are supporting their addiction. You could be paying for their last fix. The homeless shelters do not cost much and those begging could make over £100+ per day. The shop I worked in had a side entrance and every morning there were needles, vomit, faeces and rubbish to step over. I should mention that many of them had been given support and even had been given accommodation but generally they turned them into drug dens and got evicted. I personally used to help out a couple, buying food, toiletries and sanitary products, and occasionally money but very long story short they were not very nice. Offer food and hot drinks but never money.

It’s certainly true that a lot of the ‘homeless’ are running an extremely lucrative business by pretending to be homeless and begging in tourist towns.

They have somewhere to live but they pitch up in the morning, find a prime spot to sit ( with the ubiquitous dog) and then at the end of the day, taxis take them back to their accommodation, complete with their loot.

A few years ago I read an article in our paper written by a journalist who visited a number of tourist towns, and discovered that all is not as it appears with these beggars.

The homeless shelters do not cost much and those begging could make over £100+ per day true, but if nobody donates cash how are the genuine homeless supposed to afford the shelter? Shelters do not take chicken sandwiches and coffees in payment for a safe bed for the night. We all make judgement calls, I rely on instinct as to whether or not somebody is genuinely homeless, but on balance I'd rather give to a scam artist than ignore someone in genuine need.

I would prefer to donate to the local shelter. I need to find out where it is and who it is run by. We occasionally have men and women sitting on the pavement in our small town, but they are never there very long. I don't see them moved on by police or homeless agency workers so I am not sure what happens in our town. I rarely carry cash now, but I could make sure I carry a few £ coins. I am sounding very vague but like the OP am not sure what is the best solution. Maybe donating to whichever homeless shelter operates closest to our town.

We don’t have that many round here but in the city there are some. Sometimes I give them money, sometimes not. I don’t carry much cash these days. Sometimes I put groceries in the various collections for homeless people. I was quite taken aback at the numbers begging last time I visited Europe, more than in Asia.

I ask them if they want a drink and food,I won't give money now. Years ago I fell for the lies of a lad begging, I got him money from my bag to find out over ten minutes later my purse and cards were gone . The police told me not to give money as it was a distraction crime, one of many that week.

I offer a sandwich and drink but don't give money usually.
As for homeles running lucrative businesses begging ,I think this is very , very rare. So many suffer from mental health problems.

On the advice of a family member who works with homeless people, I don’t give directly. We have a direct debit to Centrepoint and I donate to the local food bank and baby bank. I trust them to know how best to help.

If I have any change in my pocket I will give that but I never open my bag to get to my purse when I am outside of a shop or cafe - the cash in my pocket is kept there for any purchase I might make from our open market, not that it's much good now though.

I carry a couple of pound coins in my pocket in case I run into one of the regular street people here, some I have got to know by name. Usually though it’s just a cheerful ‘morning ‘David’ ‘, an acknowledgement rather than a gift.

When I travel by train there is usually someone who gets on and works the carriages for a stop or two. They are regulars and I know their spiel of by heart now - I don’t give to them

Generally I donate to our local homeless support charity rather than direct giving as they can give more appropriate and specialist support.

Homeless charities say give them neither money nor food. They say by doing so you are encouraging and supporting a lifestyle on the streets which is often dangerous and definitely bad for physical and mental health. They say to be informed about where they can get help in your area and all the person. There they can get access to a lot of resources and support.
I used to give food, hot drinks etc but have stopped after getting that advice. I often say hello however.

Back in the 80s I lived on one of the toughest estates in Manchester where some of the "homeless" people (who begged outside places like the opera house) had council tenancies. They used to come into the local convenience shop with their pockets full of one pound coins. Living among the underclass gives one a very different view of them.

Give a pound , always keep a couple in my purse . Also have given food and a hot drink on a cold day or a cold drink on a hot one
Always give something for the dog if they have one
Whatever their problem or situation I’m always luckier than them so it doesn’t hurt to pay that forward

Rosie51

^The homeless shelters do not cost much and those begging could make over £100+ per day^ true, but if nobody donates cash how are the genuine homeless supposed to afford the shelter? Shelters do not take chicken sandwiches and coffees in payment for a safe bed for the night. We all make judgement calls, I rely on instinct as to whether or not somebody is genuinely homeless, but on balance I'd rather give to a scam artist than ignore someone in genuine need.

Same here.

I used to live just outside a well known, popular seaside town.

One day I had just been to the dentist in the town and I bought myself some sandwiches to eat in the park. A man came up to me and asked if I had any change for food. I only had a return bus ticket and a few pennies but I fished my sandwiches out of my bag and offered them to him. He took them from me and threw them on the ground and stamped on them.

Since then, the only time I have given anything to a beggar was when I bought two meal deals for a young woman and her little girl.

Oh this eats into my heart when I see anyone begging. It could be any of us or even ourselves. If I was sleeping out in a cold and in uncomfortable place, drink or drugs may be my way of coping. I don’t take the high moral code. These are someone’s children. Not one of them wanted ‘beggar’ as their career path. Over the years, I’ve given food and money. I now give money whatever I have. Let them spend it on whatever their need happens to be.
Please help then.

I do all three, but food/drink, (hot drink in the winter, water in summer), sometimes money, and wherever I can I support our local homeless shelter.

We have a large number of homeless.

Not sure where the “but” cake from! (Edit button please )

mumofmadboys

I offer a sandwich and drink but don't give money usually.
As for homeles running lucrative businesses begging ,I think this is very , very rare. So many suffer from mental health problems.

It’s a mixture I think.If you live near a tourist hotspot you’ll get to know by instinct which are which.Professional beggars, or those lost souls with mental health problems and the just downright unfortunate in life.