Money or food to beggars ?

I always buy the Big Issue but do not give money for reasons others have given. Homelessness is a terrible thing.

I was in London on Friday of last week and noticed that two of the people begging in the Underground tunnels had the symbol for contactless payments propped up in front of their pitch. Sure enough when I loitered past and was asked for money I said I had no cash and was invited to tap my phone or card. The total was set at five pounds. Needless to say I didnt donate. A couple of years ago, also in London, I bought the Big Issue from a chap on the street only to find it was a free leaflet from a nearby shop. By the time I realised he had long gone. Donation to a homeless charity is much better.

Applegran

I always buy the Big Issue but do not give money for reasons others have given. Homelessness is a terrible thing.

The majority of Big Issue sellers are not homeless as confirmed by the Big Issue site. Buy the magazine if it's something you enjoy reading but it has moved far from its origins and you're not necessarily helping a homeless person.

Money by standing order to a local Shelter or foodbank. A sandwich or sausage roll & drink to someone begging but never money.

One day I asked a man sitting on the street if he’d like a coffee. He answered Yes a malted latte with sugar and a bacon bap,
I then walked 10 minutes to the nearest Costa, queued for 15 minutes to get the requested breakfast, then walked the 10 minutes back.
Now I just give a couple of pound. I hope they use it to get a bed in a hostel, or food, but if they need drugs to get them through the next 24 hours then that’s their choice.

I see my homeless gentleman about once a fortnight.
It's my Friday night fish and chip supper and I offer him the same .
He'll refuse the fish ,because it's expensive (his words )and happily settle for a big bag of chips and a chat .
As the cold weather sets in I'll collect some warm clothes for him .

We had a spate of men and women standing in the road at traffic lights and begging. It was found that one of them quite near where I live was dealing in drugs and taken to court. Others were begging then going home - not homeless.
We have no proof that anyone on the streets is genuine so I prefer to give to the homeless charities.

Food and a hot/cold drink. Had fake Big Issue seller, "pregnant" wife who he got to help him. Extremely hot day, she looked so tired, hot, sweaty and defeated, no one was buying as most folk knew they weren't official sellers and not at all sure she was actually pregnant, (she wasnt) bought her a bottle of water cos it was soo hot.

I prefer to give hot drinks and a filled roll no money

Thank you for starting this thread OP. I agree, it’s none of my business what they spend their money on. I saw a homeless man with a dog yesterday. He wasn’t begging. I bought some dog treats and went back and gave them to him. Other times I’d ask them if I can get them anything. I don’t carry cash but like to help them. It doesn’t matter why there they’re on the streets; it matters that they are fellow human-beings in need.

Esmay

I see my homeless gentleman about once a fortnight.
It's my Friday night fish and chip supper and I offer him the same .
He'll refuse the fish ,because it's expensive (his words )and happily settle for a big bag of chips and a chat .
As the cold weather sets in I'll collect some warm clothes for him .

It's such a shame that so many of us, including me, have become so disillusioned with the idea of giving to people begging on the street. It's true that there are many tales of people who are not genuinely homeless and are just trying to scam us but it's heart warming to hear of you helping a genuine person. Makes me wonder if perhaps I should start giving money/food again just in case the person is genuine. What a world of cynics some of us (me) have become.

I usually offer food/drink first, but sometimes give money if they say they need it for a shelter for example. Who knows if that's what it is actually used for, but would hate to think they didn't have a bed for the night when I could have helped.

Always quietly give money. I just can't imagine what it must be like to live on the streets.

I carry very little cash but make sure I have some for them.

A street sleeper I regularly used to food to asked me to stop giving him fruit as he didn’t like it 😳

knspol
I've known my gentleman for about five plus years .
He's liked and respected in my area .
I think that Sainsburies give him lunch .
He's still there at suppertime and that's when he likes chips .
There's a church in town , which provides food , clothes and accommodation for the homeless .
I really got taken in by a Roumanian lady .
I used to buy her food regularly.
I got her a job .
She didn't want to do it .
I offered her some really nice , but preloved clothes-she refused them .
She demanded all sorts of things and finally wanted me to pay for her daughter's beauty treatment and that's when I got fed up with her .

I don't give money either. I offer them hot drinks and sandwiches. Last time the man told me he couldn't eat them so I ate them!

The problem of genuine homelessness is easy to solve if there is a will to do so.

Beggars have always been around and always will be.

a young woman regularly begging in my town, is joined later in the day by two blokes to collect what she's made I presume.. a female making more than a male maybe.

I work with the underserved community ( this includes homeless). We cover three cities. Anyone found sleeping rough is taken to the local council who will then provide a hotel room for them until permanent accommodation is found, which could be a while. All meals are provided and several charities help with clothing, mobile phones etc. They are also entitled to benefits. The majority of these homeless still go begging to fund their addictions. This causes a lot of problems in particular for the hotels and local residents. We do not encourage anyone to donate money to those begging. If you want to help then please donate to a homeless charity.

I think it is best to give people the benefit of doubt and offer to buy them food/ drink. Sometimes we will be taken for a ride but hopefully most of the time it will be a useful gesture. More important to be kind and loving rather than right .

Diddynan interested to know is this a nationwide initiative or a local one ? Do you mean hostel instead of hotel ?

Hi Jaffacake2. I do mean hotel. It was nationwide during Covid as the government instructed that no one should be left on the streets. However all councils are obliged to house homeless whether it be a hotel or b&b. Each area differs slightly depending on what charities there are. I have found people to be incredibly generous in their time and donations.

I do notice that since COVID, and people generally carrying little or no cash, most or all of the particular type of beggars who were always in our town centre have disappeared. I strongly suspected that they were run by gangmasters, since they were all apparently of the same ethnicity and held identically worded placards.

Diddynan thanks for reply. I was just reading about Streetlink,where you can put online the location of a rough sleeper and it will contact local authorities and support workers . Are you involved with that or do you know if it works ?

As a slight aside issue, it's worth bearing in mind that many homeless people will not use shelters. They can be dangerous places with drug or alcohol dependent clients and others with severe mental illness. A significant number of homeless people (who are neither addicts nor psychotic) are afraid to spend the night in them. My city has one of the worst homeless problems outside of London and I usually give money. I think we all agree that it is the route causes which need to be urgently addressed.

Hi. I’m not involved with street link. A bit concerned that it says you need to prove a local connection within the last 5 years. This isn’t something we’ve come across or had any issues with.