Homeless People

[rckllnknny]

what would make you think bcuz they are homeless that they may hav a problem. if you loaned a co-worker you dont know very well money are you sure your money wont go to cocaine??
(trying not to sound stand off-ish)
i on the other hand will giv them money. absolutely. life is hard. i was homeless at one point in time. (pretty close to it at others) but even homeless someone is worse off than i am and i would still give them all my change in pocket. beside if they hav money for booz/heron then at least they wont b robbin someone.
lol. giving them food is a very good idea too tho. my mom used to do that too. and food is more important than money anyway tho
and ive heard where people are stranded they will go buy them bus tickets and stuff.
but i guess (?) the point would not to ljust ook the other way when you pass by??

Edited June 5, 2008 by rckllnknny

[kujo]

Thanks Gallo. Sometimes my overabundance of "brass" gets me into trouble.

Such as the other night with Soc...

[Autumn Dusk]

I was homeless for a time. Never on the streets, but I went without a home for several months.

Money is a dangerous weapon. I wouldn't give a co-worker money unless I knew them well, I could spare it for a couple of days, and I knew exactly what it was for. On one hand I could help someone get out of a bad situation or I could allow someone to buy a drug that's related to shootings, crime and death. I just won't do that.

Otherwise, if I had the money, I'd give staples...like food or instant washcloths or toothpaste or soap.

And, honestly, their is a point when you just have to look the other way. General prayers are sometimes all you can do. People have their own responsibilities and its up to them to decide what is their excess.

[rckllnknny]

[quote name='prose' post='1559923' date='Jun 5 2008, 04:08 PM']On Whyte ave (One of our main streets), there are things that look like parking meters that you can put change in to help the homeless. The money goes to shelters and stuff.

Personally, if I have money I give it. It is not my business what they spend it on once it is gone. I think it is rude to give money to people and then expect to know where it goes. If you give money, you are leaving it to their discretion. It isn't your money anymore at that point.

In any case, I give money and food. Depends on what I have or what I am asked for. I am more likely to give money to someone working for it (musically or selling "Spare Change" newspapers - a newspaper for homeless people to sell)[/quote]

i like this post.
yeh and the fact that if choose to give money to homeless people is an idea of my own too since it is my money to begin with too. kudos. if you are not one to come into much contact with alot of homeless people giving to shelters is a good idea in lincoln i stayed at the shelter off and on for almost three years and 90 percent of that mission is built on donations they remodeled it bcuz they had so much money and donations they dint know what to do with. it looks like starbucks in there now with flat screen tvs and everything. some people say it is the best place to eat in town!!


quote/ by catheryn
I have slips of paper that list where they can get help, with times that free meals are provided. It's hard not to give them money, especially when it is -20 degrees outside. If I don't have my slips with me, I tell them I give my money to the Bissel and Marian Centre (local homeless shelters), and they should go there and get help.

We are having increasing trouble with aggressive panhandlers here, and they have been looking at laws in other places that have helped, including in the US. There was a report out of San Francisco that giving them money is what makes them aggressive in the first place. When we give them money, they start thinking they are entitled to receive it, and then when someone doesn't give them what they feel they are entitled to, they get angry. It's kind of like feeding alligators. When you feel guilty not giving them something, just remember that they might use it for drugs, alcohol, sex, or it just might get aggressive with the next person they see who doesn't give them anything.

You can support the poor and homeless by donating your time and money to charities that take care of them. On the street give them anything but money. We have homeless that live in our alley during the summer months. I buy sacks of buns or bunches of bananas to give out as I run the gauntlet on the way home from church. I also tell them my husband doesn't let me carry cash in this neighborhood, so that they won't be inclined to try to mug me. I hate (don't hate, appreciate) (don't hate (don't hate, appreciate), appreciate) (don't hate (don't hate, appreciate) (don't hate (don't hate, appreciate), appreciate), appreciate) to have to hurt one of them.
unquote/


lol. that is y they are agreesive. no offense you would hav to be there to understand. when im downtown waiting for my bus i associate with many many homeless people. it is that attitude that tends to cause them to be so furious with the rest of the world. no offense. you would hav to be ther to understand. if yo walked into applebees wouldnt you b a little mad if they threw you a sack of buns and a bunch of bananas?? lol. most homeless people in lincoln arent allowed at the shelters here. thats the reason they are homeless. and anyone anywhere could mug you. someone here got mugged down the street in the church parking lot in a nice neighborhood. im not mad at you. tho.


but at least ppls intentions are in the right place. and i still feel prayer are the most important thing you can do in this life. just me tho.

Edited June 5, 2008 by rckllnknny

[rckllnknny]

and sometimes all you can do is look away.

[Autumn Dusk]

Giving someone food in a dining establishment is WAY different than giving someone food who's begging for money to get food.

Yes, there are many homless who aren't served by the physical building of a shelter. Some are mentally disturbed and won't come near people. Shelters sometimes (and often though extentions) run bag lunches where sanwiches and cookies are made by volunteers and handed out under bridges and thurofares where some of the more dangerous persons "reside".

[rckllnknny]

qoute/
Giving someone food in a dining establishment is WAY different than giving someone food who's begging for money to get food.


how??
some pple are homeless bcuz of unfortunate circumstances other than the problems of thier own. hav u ever walked 6 miles in the freezing sno with no socks starving with no where to go and with no where to help you while the rest of the world is at applebees or at home watching cable tv?? y not give them some of the graces God gives you
??

[mommas_boy]

I try to get them food or clothing, first, but if I have to choose between not giving them anything and giving them cash, I opt to give cash. As I see it, the potential of that act of charity to lead to the salvation of their souls outweighs the potential for them to use it on something other than what they need. To me, it's all about showing love.

[Autumn Dusk]

[quote name='rckllnknny' post='1560128' date='Jun 5 2008, 07:50 PM']qoute/
Giving someone food in a dining establishment is WAY different than giving someone food who's begging for money to get food.
how??
some pple are homeless bcuz of unfortunate circumstances other than the problems of thier own. hav u ever walked 6 miles in the freezing sno with no socks starving with no where to go and with no where to help you while the rest of the world is at applebees or at home watching cable tv?? y not give them some of the graces God gives you
??[/quote]

Rick, you're making big assumptions about my life. I've already stated that I know what its like to not know the next place I could sleep...to wonder even if I would have a roof over my head the next day.

The rest of the world? Seriously, every poor person is competing against every other poor person. While I sometimes resented people who had more than me, I often knew that many people had less. There was a time when everything I owned was contained in a duffel. So don't give me the "you don't understand" speech. I'm from new england and have delt with my fair share of being out in the cold. I've survived winters with a thin coat and no gloves becuase I had no money and nobody believed me when I said I needed help...simply becuase I was young, white, skinny and cute. (I'm just saying that b/c its a steryotype). I wasn't impared in any way they could see, i didn't smoke or smell of drugs or alcohol so people didn't help me. And that's just in my adult life...I won't go further than that.

i've taken the bus before...many times...I stated in the above how someone who was poor verbally attacked me for not giving when I had nothing. And at that point I would of been really grateful if someone'd given me a granola bar, in all honesty, even if I wasn't begging.

You don't know what I can or can't give. Right now I can't give anything, and I'm living off of people's graciousness. When I have a full-time job and a place of my own I CAN give...but only how I see fit.

[XIX]

I was homeless for a night. Long story short, I misplaced my car. Literally. I parked on a street a mile away from an event I wanted to attend, and I ran as fast as I could to get there. Couldn't remember where I parked. I searched through the streets of the city for hours. About 5 hours. Nothing.

The trains were closed.

I was basically stranded in the city. It was cold and misty. I was wet. I was wearing some decent clothes, but not enough for the weather. I ended up sleeping in a part-a-john, party because it was slightly warmer. Partly because I wanted protection from the elements. Let me tell you I was miserable. I was so uncomfortable that I forgot about the $1500 (worth of the car) and the necessary transportation that I was suddenly missing. I just wanted the trains to open in the morning so I could buy a ticket back home. Holy macarel. I was kinda scared. I had trouble getting much sleep.

Fortunately, I got back home. I found my car the next day. Point of the story, it gave me a much deeper appreciation for what I had. I can't possibly fathom what it must be like to be homeless. To be in those elements on a daily basis. My day was cold, but it wasn't that cold. People can be homeless in 10 degree blizzards. Holy cow. It's pretty scary from where I sit.

This story isn't really meant to be taken as an opinion on the current debate topic. It's more of a tangential story that I felt like sharing.

Parenthetically, that weekend was the last time I cried. About ten weeks ago.

[cmotherofpirl]

When my daughter lived in Pgh she encountered many street people. The first time she handed them money, or gift cert for McDs. The second time she handed them the numbers for shelters and agencies. THe third time she handed out spplications for McDonalds, Wendys etc THat was the last time she gave them anything. She would listen to their stories, but no aid to their various habits.

[rckllnknny]

[quote name='Autumn Dusk' post='1560149' date='Jun 5 2008, 07:01 PM']Rick, you're making big assumptions about my life. I've already stated that I know what its like to not know the next place I could sleep...to wonder even if I would have a roof over my head the next day.

The rest of the world? Seriously, every poor person is competing against every other poor person. While I sometimes resented people who had more than me, I often knew that many people had less. There was a time when everything I owned was contained in a duffel. So don't give me the "you don't understand" speech. I'm from new england and have delt with my fair share of being out in the cold. I've survived winters with a thin coat and no gloves becuase I had no money and nobody believed me when I said I needed help...simply becuase I was young, white, skinny and cute. (I'm just saying that b/c its a steryotype). I wasn't impared in any way they could see, i didn't smoke or smell of drugs or alcohol so people didn't help me. And that's just in my adult life...I won't go further than that.

i've taken the bus before...many times...I stated in the above how someone who was poor verbally attacked me for not giving when I had nothing. And at that point I would of been really grateful if someone'd given me a granola bar, in all honesty, even if I wasn't begging.

You don't know what I can or can't give. Right now I can't give anything, and I'm living off of people's graciousness. When I have a full-time job and a place of my own I CAN give...but only how I see fit.[/quote]
then dont take this personal or feel its directed at you when i say, y not give them some of the graces God gives you
??

sure granola bars are good. but wouldnt it b nice if someone treated you to a steak dinner when you hadnt ate in 3 days. absolutely. i could give God my 10% but i give him my 100% im not perfect. but i guess if you ate buns and bananas and offered me the same. i would cry i was soo happy that you thought of me with so much respect.

[Autumn Dusk]

[quote name='rckllnknny' post='1560178' date='Jun 5 2008, 08:16 PM']then dont take this personal or feel its directed at you when i say, y not give them some of the graces God gives you
??

sure granola bars are good. but wouldnt it b nice if someone treated you to a steak dinner when you hadnt ate in 3 days. absolutely. i could give God my 10% but i give him my 100% im not perfect. but i guess if you ate buns and bananas and offered me the same. i would cry i was soo happy that you thought of me with so much respect.[/quote]

Most people who know me know would be shocked to know some of the things I've eaten to get by. Granola bars are a quick and very nutritious way to help a lot of charitable money go really far, especially when you don't have a lot to spend.

[rckllnknny]

lol. i wouldnt mind one right now to be honest.

[Autumn Dusk]

Err...wait...I guess I do give...I used 2 hours of my time last weekend making sandwiches for the homeless.

[rckllnknny]

kudos to ya. (sorry bad joke. lol.)

[CatherineM]

You may see homeless people downtown waiting for the bus, but I can see two right now out side my living room window. I live in the part of town that when the Guardian Angels came to town picked as their first stop. The corner outside our church two blocks away is where a serial killer was picking up prostitutes for over a year. He was recently convicted. My husband is chair of the board trying to build permanent housing for the mentally ill homeless. The homeless aren't an intellectual pursuit for us. They are part of our lives. I spent years volunteering nights at the large homeless shelter in Oklahoma City. If you ask anyone who works with the homeless, on the street or in the shelters, they will tell you that giving them money is a bad idea. Give them anything else but that. If you don't believe me, find the nearest shelter, and go get your hands dirty.

[rckllnknny]

ya still dont get it do ya?

[rckllnknny]

quote/
My husband is chair of the board trying to build permanent housing for the mentally ill homeless.


sounds like a good idea.

if i ask anyone who works with the homeless are you kidding. i kno tens or hundreds of thousands of people homeless and volunteers or even more. is spent my whole life in poverty and also upon greater wealth.
you dont hav to give them money. i never said you did. its your money. do as you wish. but i kno first hand too whats effective.

Edited June 6, 2008 by rckllnknny

[CatherineM]

You've known tens of thousands of homeless. Wow.