Don’t worry how it’s spent, always give homeless a handout, pope says

[Dana Mugavero]

On ‎3‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 3:23 PM, dominicansoul said:

I know I probably couldn't do it, I wouldn't survive!   I can't go a day without showering.  And a day without a bathroom?  No thanks!  And not eating?  

We are really blessed in this country.  I've often wondered with all our resources how anyone can be homeless?  But like the one guy who would wait for me on payday outside my job, he had mental issues.  I'm sure the vast majority do.

I haven't yet been given a LOT of gifts of the Holy Spirit and I may never get more than discernment...but I will take that.  Healing might make me vain.

[Era Might]

On 3/2/2017 at 4:21 PM, CatherineM said:

I don't give money. It's not because I'm afraid they will use it for drugs or alcohol. I don't give money because it allows them to stay on the street. They won't get help there. They have to be in a shelter or hooked up with services. 

I understand the sentiment, but I'd add that shelters and services aren't an answer for all homeless. Sometimes the street is preferable to a shelter. I think homelessness is rarely about a roof. There's a brokenness, an estrangement, from the public society, and usually the private society of family, friends, etc. I've known many, many homeless. They're often very self-aware of themselves, in a way that a passerby will never be. The homeless often recognize their own humanity more than those who want to help them, because the do-gooder is often someone who has never known the broken depths of self-awareness. Many homeless know that they are on the street by choice. It's not something they can fix with a service or a shelter; they are on a wind of fate and must follow it. But yes, some homeless aren't self-aware and just need a hand, many are like children, partly why Christ loved them.

Edited March 11, 2017 by Era Might

[beatitude]

On 3/5/2017 at 3:21 AM, philothea said:

Yeah, I'm with Vee, unfortunately. I'm in an urban area with a lot of homeless—and a lot of homeless services (including my parish). If someone is out asking for help, I'm concerned about why they're asking me. I'll give to anyone who asks if they look in control of themselves, I'm not encouraging a major nuisance, and I'm not right by where I live. I seriously do not care if they are going to buy booze or drugs, just please don't stalk or stab me.

I'm probably a lot more likely to be scammed, given that, but oh well.

I have experienced similar fears - one homeless man followed me to a cashpoint once and got physically very close to me when he asked for money, which I found intimidating. But I'd like to share a positive story. When I was a nineteen-year-old student I was walking from the train station to my college late one night, and a man who had been on my train was a little way behind me. A homeless man who was well known in our area (he used to sell the Big Issue in the street, liked to crack jokes to his customers, and had spoken frankly to the student newspaper about his history) came by and asked my fellow passenger for money. But he did not ask me. When I heard the man refuse, I turned and asked Clive (the homeless guy) if he needed anything. He thanked me and said cheerfully, "I wasn't going to ask you, even grown men are scared of me!" I was quite touched that he had realised that I as a lone woman might be unnerved at being approached by a strange man at night, and that even in his tough circumstances, he was responsive to other people's feelings like that.

Regarding the topic, I used to avoid giving homeless people money and offer food instead, in case they did spend it on drugs or something harmful. But then I met a former homeless man who challenged my point of view. He is an ex-convict and a former alcoholic who became a Christian and now works for a church organisation that provides services to homeless people. He came to our Bible study group to share his story and a bit about what his organisation does. He told us that when he was on the street he did spend the money people gave him on alcohol, as do many other homeless people...but he also said that the street was such an unbearable merciless place to be that the alcohol was what kept him alive. It warded off the cold, numbed him to the dismissive and often abusive treatment he would receive from passers-by, and allowed him to escape for a while. He would be the first to agree that it wasn't a healthy escape, but at that low point in his life he didn't exactly feel like he had many options. He told our group that he didn't know what to advise us for the best when it comes to giving money, because there are pros and cons to it, but the question isn't as straightforward as we might think.

[WhiteLily]

It is from my experience that I can not directly hand out money unless The Holy Spirit inspires me to do so. It's a case-by-case basis. Instead of cash, I do my best to buy them food or I try to keep gift cards on hand for food so they can eat or I ask them if there is anything I can buy for them.