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Comment by rosser | Hacker News Reader

This is just me, and my approach to the homeless or destitute, but if someone asks me for money, the answer is some form of no (if I even acknowledge the asker). Yeah, you tell me you're hungry or whatever, but I'm not going to risk participating in your next fix.

If they ask me for food, however, it's always a yes, assuming I can do it right then (not late for something, have money or my card on me or whatever). You wouldn't believe how rarely that actually happens.

I don't spend a lot of time in the Tenderloin — though I do pass through it fairly regularly — but actually being asked for food is pretty much the opposite of "unremarkable" in my experience.

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I tried to take this attitude a while ago, but after being abused and accused of mistrust too many times (the homeless aren't actually starving in Australia) I returned to ignoring such people.

The worst was when a couple implored me to give them some money for accommodation, as they had been evicted. I said "Sure, let's go to a hotel right now and I'll check you in." They called me a bunch of expletives and stormed off.

Same. A homeless guy walked by an alley near my house once and asked for money for food. I walked inside and came out with a half-dozen cans of tuna for him, and he started swearing and saying he didn't want "that cat food". I just stared at him, said "I eat this stuff. If you don't want it, then nothing for you." The guy just flipped me off and walked away. Good deed averted.

You did the right thing; that person was trying to score. I also offer them food only. If they don't accept it, it's usually because they are junkies and want someone to extend their habit.

I used to subscribe to this idea as well, until a friend of mine told me this: "Have you thought of the fact that you're enabling people to be homeless, thereby making the problem worse rather than better?". This really struck me, since I agreed... I'd rather work on the causes than the symptoms.

If their only other option is to pull themselves together and get a job, then I suppose that's true. It seems unlikely.

Don't use this as an excuse to do nothing. Be smart, but be compassionate.

"If you can heal the symptom, but not affect the cause, it's quite a bit like tryin' to heal a gunshot wound with gauze." -- Phish, __Sand__

Had to plug my favorite group :)

I don't understand the comparison. What are you supposed to do to a gunshot wound other than prevent bleeding, which gauze would do?

It's talking about the reason for being shot in the first place... Gang violence, war, etc.

Oh, that makes sense.

If you're trying to maximize the good your dollar can do, you're probably better off giving to a charitable organization. A thrifty homeless guy might be able to feed himself for $2, but the cost of a stomach full of soup, bought in bulk and prepared by volunteers, is likely to be considerably less.

This is good advice.

My church supports a food pantry that prepares meal packets for malnourished people around the world. Boil a few cups of water, mix in this bag, and you have a meal for 6 people that can sustain them for a day.

Total cost? $0.50

I'm from IL, but I'd be willing to wager there's nowhere in SF a homeless person can buy a single meal for a single person with two quarters.

Which isn't to say you shouldn't buy the guy a sandwich. There's a value to that person's life that makes it worth the cost at much higher prices. It's just that, in today's world anyway, you don't have to spend all that much to make a difference.

I know someone who's been experimenting with the same rough idea, but trying to be a bit proactive about things by putting together small kits of food/water/stuff (granola bars, raisin packets, water bottles, gift cards for chain restaurants, socks, toiletries) and keeping a few in the car to just hand out when he gets asked.

This is in LA, where you're usually in the car when you see unfamiliar people (down on their luck or not), so YMMV in places like SF where foot traffic is more the rule and you may not be habitually carrying lots of extra baggage.

Carrying a Subway gift card specifically to give away might work out, though. Maybe pair it with the card of addresses for local help institutions (shelter, food, addiction treatment, mental health if we still have any of these) for extra mileage.

Probably no on the Subway gift card because they'd probably just find some way to hock it. I'd stick with actual food.

Food isn't as fungible as change, but there's still opportunity cost. Each dollar they don't have to spend on food is a dollar that can be spent on drugs instead.

True, but it's not like they're eating at expensive restaurants. Anyone can get a full stomach with $2 or $3 at a McDonald's or Taco Bell. And just an hour of begging on a major pedestrian area will get you enough for that, a pack of smokes, and a bottle of whisky.

I think a lot of beggars do it not just for the money, but because they like interacting with people. So it's good to acknowledge them. Nothing wrong with offering some food if it's done in a way that gives the person some good interaction. And, anyone could get tired of eating in the same places, so it can be a treat.

But money should absolutely never be given. My technique, instead of lying and saying "I don't have anything," is to simply say "I can't help you."

I think you're right. Often times people in the Tenderloin will ask me for the time. When I give it to them they say "Thank you" and move on, with no followup request for money or food.

It's possible they genuinely need to know the time. It's also possible they are trying to get me to take out my cell phone. But I think the most likely answer is that they want to have a normal human interaction.

"I can't help you."

I'm not sure that's entirely true, either. Not judging, just saying.

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