Homeless People

[Alycin]

* cough*

[Lounge Daddy]

[quote name='havok579257' post='1582159' date='Jun 24 2008, 08:30 PM']Thought I would add my 2 cents.[/quote]
Oh I get it. Change. 2 cents. heh.

[Alycin]

[quote name='Lounge Daddy' post='1583433' date='Jun 25 2008, 11:59 PM']Oh I get it. Change. 2 cents. heh.[/quote]


LOL

[johnnydigit]

i'm going to collect the information of the local shelters and soup kitchens and have it printed on business cards for free, plus 5$ shipping. (250cards, vistaprint.com) been meaning to do it for a while for those times when i don't have anything to give.

talked to a man on the street the other day on my bike ride home, and he said that he has no problem finding food and even clothes. his main problem is shelter (he sleeps under the overpasses), and finding a job as an ex-convict (400 applications in a month, no responses). also other people will steal your shoes and goods if you leave them out, and many carry knives for protection, so be careful.

[cathoholic_anonymous]

[quote name='Alycin' post='1582179' date='Jun 25 2008, 02:43 AM']People didn't say they wouldn't help, they said they would be more likely to give them actual food and/or restaurant coupons.

Homeless ministries don't just take up collections and then hand out 50 bucks to every homeless person. They offer those people food, clothes, blankets, toiletries, and, when they can, shelter.

In my opinion, there is a very big difference between someone who tosses some coins at a homeless person as they walk down the street, and someone who says, "Can I buy you dinner?" to that person. One person is doing something that doesn't take much effort, the other is offering the gift of time. One person spends only seconds near the homeless individual, while the other actually spends time with them and shows them that someone sincerely cares.

How easy is it to write a check for something and then never think about it again? Like with New Orleans? Of course it was wonderful that people opened their checkbooks and donated to the hurricane victims, but some people literally left their jobs and went to New Orleans and gave the gift of time. THAT is amazing.[/quote]

I agree. One of my friends (farglefeezlebut on the phorum) encountered a homeless man named Ray once. She knows his name because she and a friend took him to a cafe for breakfast and spent time chatting to him. He was suffering from cancer, which had been induced by dependency on alcohol. He was quite honest about his addiction. He had been disowned by his family because of it. They had made numerous attempts to help him but had grown tired by his continual descent back into drinking. He sleeps on park benches. Perhaps that should be 'slept', as we don't know whether he's alive now. When you are homeless and close to death, I think it means more to share a meal with somebody who cares enough to talk to you than it does to receive their spare coins.

I also find it upsetting that some people immediately assume that the homeless men and women will be dangerous and violent. I was walking through town at about ten p.m. once, on my way home from the train station. There was a man just behind me who had also been on my train, dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase, probably a London commuter. As we rounded a corner, a homeless man whom I know cycled past me and stopped the man to ask for some change. The man said no and Clive cycled off. I turned round and, waddling to catch up, said, "Clive, do you need money?"

He said, "I wasn't going to ask you as you're a girl on your own. Even grown men get a bit scared of me." Then he laughed as if at a very amusing joke, but I knew it was true and I felt sad. I gave him what I had. I know that he sells the [i]Big Issue[/i] magazine for a living, so if he ever does ask for money (which is rare) he must need it.

[quote name='johnnydigit' post='1583600' date='Jun 26 2008, 09:06 AM']i'm going to collect the information of the local shelters and soup kitchens and have it printed on business cards for free, plus 5$ shipping. (250cards, vistaprint.com) been meaning to do it for a while for those times when i don't have anything to give.

talked to a man on the street the other day on my bike ride home, and he said that he has no problem finding food and even clothes. his main problem is shelter (he sleeps under the overpasses), and finding a job as an ex-convict (400 applications in a month, no responses). also other people will steal your shoes and goods if you leave them out, and many carry knives for protection, so be careful.[/quote]

It's a shame that he hasn't found anybody willing to give him a second chance yet. I'll pray.

Edited June 26, 2008 by Cathoholic Anonymous

[Vincent Vega]

[quote]Give them change?[/quote]
Obama would. He's got "change" pouring out his wazoo.

[Galloglasses]

Y'know, I thought the answer to the topic's question should be rather obvious to all of us.

[havok579257]

[quote name='Galloglasses' post='1584313' date='Jun 26 2008, 09:16 PM']Y'know, I thought the answer to the topic's question should be rather obvious to all of us.[/quote]


I agree, but it seems the answer is not as obvious as we think it should be.

[Alycin]

[quote name='havok579257' post='1584347' date='Jun 26 2008, 09:41 PM']I agree, but it seems the answer is not as obvious as we think it should be.[/quote]

I see you failed to respond to my last rebuttal of your argument.

[johnnydigit]

[quote name='Galloglasses' post='1584313' date='Jun 26 2008, 07:16 PM']Y'know, I thought the answer to the topic's question should be rather obvious to all of us.[/quote]

there's a lot, in fact too much that is obvious but we are blind to. that's why we have friends to give us different perspectives on things. that's why we have spiritual directors. millions of light bulbs are going off on top of people's heads when looking at things through God's eyes..

[Norseman82]

[quote name='havok579257' post='1582159' date='Jun 24 2008, 08:30 PM']I personally think its horrible to give a homeless person a shelter's phone number instead of money.[/quote]

What if it's for a shelter that you support monetarily?

[quote name='havok579257' post='1582159' date='Jun 24 2008, 08:30 PM']How hard is it really to part with your money.[/quote]

Personally, I find it is easy to reach into one's pocket or wallet and give some money; many times, you can time it so that you maybe only lose 10-20 seconds off your walk time to the train station.

What I personally find more challenging and sacrificial is to stop and look them in the eye and actually take about 5-10 minutes off my schedule (perhaps missing my train) to actually take them to a McDonald's, Wendy's, etc. and actually wait while a man orders a sandwich for himself and his son at my expense.

[havok579257]

[quote name='Alycin' post='1584351' date='Jun 26 2008, 09:48 PM']I see you failed to respond to my last rebuttal of your argument. [/quote]

i must have missed it, i'll go back and see what you said.

[havok579257]

[quote name='Alycin' post='1584351' date='Jun 26 2008, 09:48 PM']I see you failed to respond to my last rebuttal of your argument. [/quote]


Went back and read it and I did not see a rebuttal, all I saw was a statement. So what are you talking about?

[Alycin]

[quote name='Alycin' post='1582625' date='Jun 25 2008, 02:38 AM']I just went back and read EVERY SINGLE POST.

Exactly ONE person said they don't give cash but give the information for a shelter that they have personal experience with. That ONE person also talked about the extensive work they did with the homeless.

So maybe you should change your wording to 'i was specifically talking to the one person out of the 32 people that responded'

[/quote]

[catholicinsd]

The only person I've ever given money to is the homless man with the puppets at the Space Needle.