Give them cash. Give them dignity by making eye contact. Give the benefit of the doubt they need it and will use it responsibly. Give.
For those who are addicted (and let's repeat that not everyone who is homeless is an addict, at least not yet) their addiction won't magickally vanish if you don't give them money to spend on drugs. They'll find their drugs anyway. Maybe not with your money, but they won't get any better because you didn't give them money. And they'll probably do something desperate to get it if they don't have money so you're probably protecting them from the worse if you do give them money.
Personally, I live in a place with a large population of homeless people and I give money. The majority don't look like they're junkies or anything, but even for the ones who are, if enough people give them money they'll get their drugs and they'll have some left to go and get themselves something else they need. You just have to fill the pot up.
I sometimes ask people what they need, if they're sitting outside a store. A guy once asked me for a Cadbury's and a bottle of Gatorade. I thought, yech, on both counts and the chocolate is defo unhealthy, but maybe it was a way to combat the cold or get a quick hit of energy? How would I know? I've never sat on my arse on a cold dirty pavement for days. If the folks who do that don't know best what they need, then I certainly don't so I might as well go with what they say.
Edit: And, to be perfectly honest, giving doesn't make me feel any better and it's not really helping the homeless much. What those people need is to get off the streets. Small donations like I can afford (I'm a PhD student after all) is at best helping them get by, if enough other people chip in. In the article, Anita helped the author's mother get a job. That's the kind of thing that changes a person's life, although of course packing up a warm meal for them is a very good start.
There was a young guy who was sitting in the same place for at least three or four years. I used to give him money when I went by on my way home from work (before I was a PhD student). It didn't matter that I gave him money. He was still there for all those years. You don't get people out of poverty by giving them your change. Not that you shouldn't - but what is needed is, well, scuse the involuntary pun but radical societal change. Is that coming from anywhere?
I agree but you need to account for both parties involved. Giving money opposed to asking them for what they need and supplying it increases the risk area for harm and it's inevitably a moral burden as well if someone thinks they are fueling addiction when they might not be, it's hard to know. Addiction is a complex problem which can't be solved by a passway. The best they can do is focus on supplies for improvement in qualify of life for the homeless within a reasonable timeframe. Not only improvement in what you eat and self caring products lead to distraction from addiction but helps you stand up. It opens up opportunity to ask about them and give emotional fulfillment as well. Throwing money in a bin or putting it on their hand doesn't which is what most people would do if they were to just give out money.
> I sometimes ask people what they need, if they're sitting outside a store. A guy once asked me for a Cadbury's and a bottle of Gatorade. I thought, yech, on both counts and the chocolate is defo unhealthy, but maybe it was a way to combat the cold or get a quick hit of energy? How would I know? I've never sat on my arse on a cold dirty pavement for days. If the folks who do that don't know best what they need, then I certainly don't so I might as well go with what they say.
Sure that's a good point and I didn't imply to act like you know what they need. That is more of a quality issue. Giving money is unknowingly restricting and letting their mindset dictate short term benefit over long term. They may try to get a cheaper unhealthy chocolate due to dollar difference or thought of saving up.
Anyway I dont' agree with you, still. There's so many things that people can do with money that isn't getting high. If I buy someone a meal from outside I can only buy something ready-made (a sandwich or a kebab etc). That's not very healthy. Maybe if enough people give them money they can find a place to stay for a while (or a good Samarithan can pay for a night's stay at a motel) or they can buy something to cook and go to a friend's place to cook it and have a proper meal.
I really don't think that the majority of homeless in my area are addicts. They mostly seem like people down on their luck. It's so easy to end up on the streets these days, especially in the bloody UK where social nets are threadabare and being torn apart constantly. Then of course once you're on the streets it is so easy to start drinking or shooting to "get by".
Like you say addiction a complex problem but I don't accept that giving money makes it worse or doesn't help those who suffer from it. If I'm wrong, I hope I find out soon.
Really though, asking part and having a conservation is more important. I was giving addiction as merely an example because I thought people here would relate to it more. I didn't mean to imply all homeless people are addicted. It depends on your location. If they tell you the money is needed for supplying their addiction, you don't stop and move on. No, you ask about it more and if there is a chance, you can get them help at an addiction centre. I am not a medical expert that can judge whether the drugs will have a therapeutic or negative effect on them. If I was, I might help them out with drugs. This is why you need free [1][2]drug maintenance centres where they can safely get quality drugs and fight against their addiction.
Here, the homeless kids will ask you for money and if you give them that, it won't help them. It will go towards funding a business that relies on exploiting, kidnapping and disabling kids to beg in the streets. They won't get any high quality food from it or nice comfy blanket.
Giving money opposed to asking them for what they need and supplying it increases the risk area for harm and it's inevitably a moral burden as well if someone thinks they are fueling addiction when they might not be, it's hard to know
It's a two way transaction. I wouldn't wanna encourage child exploitation business and if I unknowingly did it, that might stop me from getting involved next time. Both people need a satisfactory result. Sitting with the kid while they finish eating meal and playing with toys I brought is a better outcome than uncertainty.
Giving money is unknowingly restricting
You might handout 20 bucks but the supplies they should get may cost a dollar over it. They would be forced to get cheaper one which may or may not be up to the standards.
People are not good at estimating how much they would need upfront. It's not something limited to homeless people. Sorry, if I implied that.
Taking out bigger action like opening a charity and build awareness regarding the problem is better but not always an immediate option, sadly.
1] https://vancouver.ca/people-programs/four-pillars-drug-strat...
Sure, you can ask them what they need, but the nice thing about cash if they can use it to buy whatever they need, that's what cash is for. And have the dignity to decide for themselves what it is, not have to tell you and get it approved like you're their teacher or boss.
I mean, are you spending some of YOUR money on alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes? Then you can afford to give someone cash without needing to worry about whether they might do the same, and whether that's good for them or not.
To truly help the person struggling to crawl out of that hole, you shouldn’t be enabling the behaviors that keep them there and (possibly) have put them there in the first place.
Take them out for lunch, buy them some food, have a conversation, help them figure out the resources available to them, etc. But straight up cash is not something i would be advocating for, unless it goes to a reputable charity/fund/etc (do your research on that one first, because there are quite a few “charities” that spend majority of the funds on administrative expenses and such, with only a small percentage going towards the actual cause) that can allocate that cash in a good way. Ffs, volunteer at a homeless shelter or a food bank.
A person can still die from self-determination of course, so it comes down to a decision about what you think matters the most.
And dying of an overdose doesn't give you any dignity.
So you can decide to treat everyone with dignity as an adult, or nobody with dignity as an adult. You are advocating for nobody (or at least nobody who is on the streets), out of an abundance of 'caution'.
You are mistaken if you think you are helping people by being an asshole to them. But it is certainly your right to do so.
You can treat someone respectfully while giving them money, or while not giving them money; and you can be an asshole either way too.
I think we disagree on what constitutes an asshole. Being aware of the statistical realities of a situation and operating on them is not being an asshole. If you were to say "of course I'm not giving you money, you're probably addicted to heroin" to someone's face after they ask you for change, that would make you an asshole. But that's not what I'm advocating.
Give to nonprofits that focus on helping the homeless - they will be able to distribute the benefits in a way that is better in the long-term for the homeless themselves.
Is this actually true?
1) Why would relaxing indoors be beneficial compared to not earning income? Isn't the whole point in society that lazing around is a bad thing and the poor should work hard to try and get themselves to a better space, which requires money? In the case of the homeless it's public humiliation in exchange for spare change.
2) What if they did, and then they have to wait several months for a response from the gov't (eg. disability)?
My experience in Habitat for Humanity and with various churches offering programs to get the homeless off the street and into homes and jobs, is that people who want help go to places that offer help. People who want easy cash for selfish/self-harming reasons beg on the corners/parking lots presenting either lies or scams.
E.g. an undocumented migrant might be too afraid to go to places that could help (sometimes that's justified unfortunately), and end up self-harming because what else are you going to do stuck on the street with no future you can see, but it doesn't mean they started out motivated to self-harm.