Why Don't You Give Cash to Homeless People?

[The Federal Government of Iowa]

It would be better to give food or usable items like clothes. As for drugs? Well, they are homeless and hungry, aren't they? They shouldn't be buying drugs when they could be buying things that will keep them alive until help can reach them.

If someone is starving to death then they aren't likely to buy drugs instead of food.

There is something called an addiction.

[Kilobugya]

It would be better to give food or usable items like clothes. As for drugs? Well, they are homeless and hungry, aren't they? They shouldn't be buying drugs when they could be buying things that will keep them alive until help can reach them.

Well, you know, when you're sleeping in the street, wondering how long you'll still survive, have no one around you to support you, no real hope for the future, getting drugs is sometimes the only thing you can do to cope with the stress and despair. Not saying it's a good thing to do, sure. But I can't really blame them either.

[The Federal Government of Iowa]

It would be better to give food or usable items like clothes. As for drugs? Well, they are homeless and hungry, aren't they? They shouldn't be buying drugs when they could be buying things that will keep them alive until help can reach them.

Well, you know, when you're sleeping in the street, wondering how long you'll still survive, have no one around you to support you, no real hope for the future, getting drugs is sometimes the only thing you can do to cope with the stress and despair. Not saying it's a good thing to do, sure. But I can't really blame them either.

Perhaps. But being smart about what you do have and not allowing yourself to be reckless or wasteful could be the difference between staying on the street or finding a way out.

[Auzkhia]

I do it sometimes when I am out and around, and I have a lot of empathy for them especially since my wife used to do panhandling before we met.

[Kubra]

Well uh dunno how to tell you this, drugs are a hell of a drug. It's only fear of the shakes that keeps me from full blown alcoholism, lemme tell ya.

In any case, surely you get why folks might forego more sensible purchases in favour of drugs, because drugs are a hell of a drug. Kicking mid term dexies already sucks, let alone a proper habit.

[Ifreann]

Should anyone be buying recreational drugs? boring people, maybe.

Should anyone be buying alcohol for recreation purposes? again, maybe boring people.

Casually insulting large segments of the population for my own amusement.

[The Federal Government of Iowa]

In any case, surely you get why folks might forego more sensible purchases in favour of drugs, because drugs are a hell of a drug. Kicking mid term dexies already sucks, let alone a proper habit.

Yes. I completely understand the temptation, which is why I think it's better to give goods (food, clothes) instead of money.

[Kubra]

Should anyone be buying recreational drugs? boring people, maybe.

Should anyone be buying alcohol for recreation purposes? again, maybe boring people.

Casually insulting large segments of the population for my own amusement.

And let's not even start on the worst implication: that mormonism is interesting.

[Ethel mermania]

If someone is starving to death then they aren't likely to buy drugs instead of food.

There is something called an addiction.

Even addicts eat. Maybe not what or as much as they should, but they eat.

[Ifreann]

If someone is starving to death then they aren't likely to buy drugs instead of food.

There is something called an addiction.

I'm aware, my point stands.

[Kubra]

In any case, surely you get why folks might forego more sensible purchases in favour of drugs, because drugs are a hell of a drug. Kicking mid term dexies already sucks, let alone a proper habit.

Yes. I completely understand the temptation, which is why I think it's better to give goods (food, clothes) instead of money.

sure but you can't really just casually hand a dude clothes on the street, and there's generally easier ways of getting it than asking a dude for his parka.
As for food, you can be *real* economical with the stuff, lemme tell ya.

[Forsher]

Should anyone be buying recreational drugs? boring people, maybe.

Should anyone be buying alcohol for recreation purposes? again, maybe boring people.

Casually insulting large segments of the population for my own amusement.

The secret to not being boring is finding everything amusing. Which according to Hollywood is largely what drugs do to a person anyway so...

However, I'd like to share this post by the regrettably CTE'd Yumyumsuppertime from a basically similar thread years ago.

Never. It's not particularly helpful for their long term situation (teach a man to fish), you cannot be certain it will be used somewhat usefully (i.e. pack of fags, alcohol etc. prioritised more than food?), and not all of them are, in fact, homeless. Also, I rarely have change these days... not that I am ever flush either so whatevs.

An expectation that people will help out is the absolute worse way to start off trying to achieve the structural change that would help. If you want to, sure, but don't for a second think it's remotely productive (assuming the end goal is fewer homeless people rather than, say, feeling good because in that latter case it probably is extremely effective).

This sort of charity is helpful at a point, but only at a point. That specific person, in that specific place, in that specific time and with the assumption that their initial expenditure will be on things that they really need.

To be somewhat more coherent... I don't myself, and I only have a problem with other people doing so if they expect that everyone should do so. Furthermore, I sneer at people who think they are helping out because I am (secretly?) a horrible person with a seriously inflated sense of the validity of my own interpretations, which means I am completely convinced of my own rightness (including of the somewhat dubious characterisations of how any handed out money would be spent).

1. No, it's not going to get them off of the streets, but that argument boils down to the obviously fallacious "If you can't solve the entire problem, then there's no point in addressing part of it." If a man is starving, he's not going to be able to hold the pole for too long, and certainly won't be able to learn much. I mean, do you think that the only thing standing between this person and vocational school is the fact that people keep on giving him money? That's completely nuts.

2. No, you can't be certain. In fact, let's say that a percentage of each day's money will go towards alcohol. By giving them money, you're still increasing the amount that will be spent on food, if not the proportion. Besides, if they don't get that money through panhandling, they're either going to get it through theft, or they're going to end up in the emergency room once the withdrawals kick in. And besides, who cares? Most of the people who I knew when I lived hard on the streets, the ones who would spend the money on alcohol? It's not like if they put down the bottle, they were going to suddenly be employable. What the alcohol did was, for a very short time, numb them to the absolute horrors that their lives had become. These were people so mentally damaged, so psychotic, so cognitively impaired or socially inept that helping them live what most would call a "normal life" would involve enormous time and resources that the government doesn't seem inclined to invest, and frankly, that they probably wouldn't be especially interested in pursuing. These aren't people who, if it weren't for the bottle, would finally begin to try. These are people who tried and who failed repeatedly, and who society therefore determined were disposable.

3. Again, panhandling isn't meant to cause structural change. I don't think that the vast majority of people who give money are thinking to themselves "Ah, I've done my bit to help someone off of the streets!", much as the vast majority of people who help old ladies across the street don't think that they're making a significant contribution to decreasing traffic accidents nationwide, and the vast majority of people who help kids who are lost in a supermarket or amusement park probably don't see themselves as making a huge dent in the number of children reported missing each year. What you are doing in this case is feeding one person, probably with one meal (if that) for one day. You're providing basic sustenance for a short period, even if a percentage of the money is spent on drugs or alcohol

4. Well, no, speaking as someone with the experience, I can say that you are right about how many would spend the money. However, for what little it's worth, and with the understanding that an anecdote does not equal data, I'd like to give you an idea of how it worked for me.

Some years ago, my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) and I met in a homeless shelter. Due to an outbreak of bedbugs that they were unable to get under control, and my girlfriend's allergic reaction to bedbug bites, we had to leave. The two of us ended up in Venice Beach, and the only marketable skill that I had was that I knew how to read tarot cards. I didn't have a stand, though. However, through panhandling one week, I managed to feed us both, and save enough money for a cloth to lay my cards on. Another week, and I was able to scrounge cushions for possible clients. Of course, it was hard for anyone to see me when I was that low to the ground, so through a mixture of readings and panhandling over a couple more weeks, I was able to afford a small table and a few chairs, and an umbrella so that I could stay out there longer without fearing sunburn. Eventually, I built up enough of a clientele to have a regular income, which led to us being able to rent a garage to sleep in, which gave us enough breathing room to figure out where to go from there. A few years and several adventures later, and I'm sitting in our apartment, we're happily married, and our child is sleeping peacefully on a mat in front of me while listening to music being piped in over her tablet.

So, no, those initial people who gave me a dollar or two didn't cause structural change. They did allow me to buy a meal from a stand on the Boardwalk, though, which in turn gave us enough of a caloric intake to be able to survive to the next day, and then the next, and so on. If it hadn't been for that, we would have likely starved, or acquired some sort of food poisoning from Dumpster diving, or been arrested trying to clumsily shoplift a can of tuna. Instead, we were able to tread water for a while, giving us the time and the space to figure out what the next move should be, and to make those moves, and to eventually end up here, truly happy and content for the first time in my life.

My point, I suppose, is that I don't mind that you don't give money to panhandlers. That's entirely your choice, and you have what likely seem to you to be quite sound reasons for not doing so. I'm just saying that it can and does help in many situations.

Oh, and don't think that I don't appreciate the disclaimer. Even when someone jokingly admits that they may not know exactly what they're talking about, it goes a long way with me.

[The Federal Government of Iowa]

There is something called an addiction.

I'm aware, my point stands.

Not really. I used to live in a poor area of town before my dad got a proper job and we got the heck out of that place. I knew people who didn't eat for days because they were too busy looking for their next fix. It was very sad to watch. I'm no rich jerk who wants to tell poor people how to live their lives, my family has been just barely middle class for the past five years only (I'm 17 now). We've seen the people who received generous donations completely waste it on drugs and be in a rut when the next rent payment rolled in.

[Nazis in Space]

Given that the OP presupposes that we don't give cash to homeless people, I can only assume that the OP bases this on his own experience.

So, tell us, OP. Why don't you give cash to the homeless?

[Mercatus]

I don’t give cash to homeless people because I rarely travel with cash. Also, there are very few homeless people where I live.

[Forsher]

It's a bit strange that when it comes to giving cash to the homeless people are very concerned with what ends that cash will be put towards, but when it comes to everything else we do with our money we tend not to think like that. I bought some Steam games, and I didn't give a moment's thought towards whether that money might be used to buy drugs or booze.

Giving cash to the homeless is like slavery... mentally you're buying a product which is "this person's (continued) life", so you care about what the money ends up doing. When you're splurging on Steam games, you're buying a totally different product that has nothing to do with peoples' lives.

[Forsher]

I don’t give cash to homeless people because I rarely travel with cash. Also, there are very few homeless people where I live.

They're probably there and you don't really notice.

Or, at least, not in the same physical space... I thought I saw someone sleeping in a car the other day, for example. Not sure though. It was dark-ish. Of course, they may have been waiting to pick someone up and because it was so early, were having a quick kip before departure. Or maybe they weren't asleep at all. I didn't see any stuff as I walked by which I have heretofore associated with car based homelessness.

[Ifreann]

I'm aware, my point stands.

Not really. I used to live in a poor area of town before my dad got a proper job and we got the heck out of that place. I knew people who didn't eat for days because they were too busy looking for their next fix. It was very sad to watch. I'm no rich jerk who wants to tell poor people how to live their lives, my family has been just barely middle class for the past five years only (I'm 17 now). We've seen the people who received generous donations completely waste it on drugs and be in a rut when the next rent payment rolled in.

Yes, I'm sure there were lots of people who were somehow too busy to eat but who had plenty of time to spare to talk some child through the finer points of their personal finances. Even so, it is not at all likely that people will give up eating entirely and do nothing but take drugs until they starve to death, and that remains true even if you do personally know people who did exactly that.

[Nazis in Space]

Giving cash to the homeless is like slavery...

Is there somewhere on the internet where we can upload the dumbest comments ever made on the internet for posterity?

'cause this sentence deserves a spot.

[Kowani]

I do, actually
Never liked the “well they’ll just spend it on alcohol/drugs” bs
Okay, and? Will me giving them food somehow make them less homeless? No. But being homeless fucking sucks-and it’s not gonna suck any less ‘cause I gave you a Big Mac or whatever
Money at least gives them a little bit of a choice over what they want to do with it
And I think after a lifetime of being kicked to t’the curb, a bit of choice isn’t unwelcome

[Forsher]

Giving cash to the homeless is like slavery...

Is there somewhere on the internet where we can upload the dumbest comments ever made on the internet for posterity?

'cause this sentence deserves a spot.

Apples are just wombs.

But, no, seriously, most people conceptualise charitable giving as "buying a particular outcome". Given that particular outcome here relates to how people live their life, what people are thinking is basically slavery... "I'll give you this money and because of that you'll do what I want with it". Compare employment: do this and I'll give you money. Which is what I wrote the first time but with different words.

Don't quote mine. If you think the whole thing is stupid that's one thing. But what you're doing is:

Is there somewhere on the internet?

[United States of Americanas]

The buying power of $10.00 to a homeless person is maybe three meals tops.

The buying power of that same $10.00 at a food bank for the homeless is 25 meals to a homeless family.

When you put the money in a charity it has far more buying power.

When you put the money in the homeless persons hands you’re trusting weak hands in an open market versus government strong arms in a closed market.

Better to donate $10,000 to expand an existing shelter to house more people than it is to keep dropping $50s on random people to get a single night in a motel.

[Avaerilon]

Society as a whole tends to be less compassionate towards men, who comprise the vast majority of homeless people, so there's that.

As for me personally, I don't carry cash; the country in which I live is increasingly geared towards cards only, and I appreciate not having to fumble around with coins and notes. If I had 50c or a Euro, though, depending on the individual I might well give them a coin.

[The Federal Government of Iowa]

Not really. I used to live in a poor area of town before my dad got a proper job and we got the heck out of that place. I knew people who didn't eat for days because they were too busy looking for their next fix. It was very sad to watch. I'm no rich jerk who wants to tell poor people how to live their lives, my family has been just barely middle class for the past five years only (I'm 17 now). We've seen the people who received generous donations completely waste it on drugs and be in a rut when the next rent payment rolled in.

Yes, I'm sure there were lots of people who were somehow too busy to eat but who had plenty of time to spare to talk some child through the finer points of their personal finances. Even so, it is not at all likely that people will give up eating entirely and do nothing but take drugs until they starve to death, and that remains true even if you do personally know people who did exactly that.

"It doesn't matter if you knew people who did exactly what I say they didn't do, they don't do it! Who are ya gonna believe? Me? Or your own two lying eyes?"
It's also pretty damn obvious that the neighbor spent too much money on drugs and alcohol when they come around looking for spare money while drunk. Glad I don't have to deal with that guy anymore.

[Alcala-Cordel]

Because as a society we look down upon the poor and disadvantaged. My own grandparents tried to teach me to keep my chin up and ignore the homeless.