Dealing with the homeless

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paulCT

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i work for the local government in a city in ny. across the street from my building is the dept of social services. several months ago, they opened a homeless shelter.

but this isn’t just any homeless shelter. this is a homeless shelter for drug users who refuse treatment, violent people with felonies (some have just gotten out of prison) and sex offenders. they are not welcomed at the regular homeless shelters.

at 5:30am each day, summer or winter, they turn these people out into the streets. on my walk from the train station to my building (it’s a 4 block walk), i occasionally meet these people looking for spare change.

if i’m in a crowded place that’s well lit, i’m than more than happy to give them whatever change is in my pocket. other times i may say no if i don’t like my surroundings or my radar goes up.

i’ve mixed feelings about giving spare change. i wonder if i’m enabling these people to continue their habits even though my intentions are good. i wonder if i should give my spare to a local chariety (catholic or other), knowing that it would be used more wisely.
 
as someone who has lived and worked in a similar situation, my personal opinion is that you are far more likely to furnish material assistance that really helps these people by contributing time and money to the organizations that work to meet their needs than by direct handouts. If you are targeted as someone who will stop on the street, open your purse, root through to find cash, you are just that, a target and you make yourself vulnerable to no good purpose.
 
you should give to a charitable society instead of handing out cash. i wouldn’t hand out cash if i were you. i’ve seen people bombarded by them and they can get quite aggressive if one refuses to hand them out money.

if i see a little old lady i will buy her a cup of cfee, but i don’t hand out money to them. most of the ones we have here are
hard core drug addicts. you see them shooting up or dealing right in restaraunts, then a little while later, they are back out on the street asking for money.

we have a place called the mustard seed that we donate to,
or the saint vincent de paul society, and so on. the local food bank. i do not give out money to them. i will buy one a sandwich or a coffee, but that is about it. even then that is not often.

i care alot for the homeless who make a living and have no place to go. i know what it is like to be homeless. my mom, my youngest sister and i were homeless decades ago, and we were lucky if we had a hot meal once a week.

so yes, it is painful for those struggling to survive. the ones i have a hard time feeling charity for are the dealers. they make money off their drugs, they live off social services, and they go out on the street and demand money from people.

i have seen it before. its prevalent here everyday. they always hang out in the business district and near the train stations,
and near downtown restaraunts. its truly sad that the local government doesn’t do anything to clean up the dealers.
 
Donate to a charitable organization. HOwever, if you feel you want to give them something as you pass, buy some sample size toiletries, put them in a bag, and give that bag to them. Or make a meal and put servings in disposable containers and give that to them. Having been a president of a non-profit in DC that worked directly with the homeless, I can tell you that even among themselves there are issues. Those who are sincere never asked for a penny and told us to never give a penny to those who ask. The organization I ran gave toiletries, clothing, and food (either donated or bought with the funds we recieved) directly to the homeless on the streets and in the parks of DC. Believe me, not a single homeless man or woman I met complained. Many of them stayed away from the shelters b/c of the drug use and violence. They would have rather slept on park benches or steam grates than in the shelters.
 
Although we don’t deal with this on a regular basis… when traveling to big cities for vacation we hit the streets with a plan… (my DH’s idea)…
Always have a handful of granola bars in your pockets. It’s decent food, not junk… not habit-sustaining (you never know what that cash is being used for)… it’s just food.
 
paulCT said:
… i occasionally meet these people looking for spare change.

if i’m in a crowded place that’s well lit, i’m than more than happy to give them whatever change is in my pocket. …

i’ve mixed feelings about giving spare change. i wonder if i’m enabling these people to continue their habits even though my intentions are good…
Click to expand...
Personally I never give money.
 
Em_in_FL said:
Although we don’t deal with this on a regular basis… when traveling to big cities for vacation we hit the streets with a plan… (my DH’s idea)…
Always have a handful of granola bars in your pockets. It’s decent food, not junk… not habit-sustaining (you never know what that cash is being used for)… it’s just food.
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this is an awesome idea!!!
 
My husband and I are at times exposed to this in our area. We might give some cash (a few dollars) but nothing cash wise large enough to buy drugs with. We have been giving gift certificates to our local restaurant for food. (this way we know that they can’t cash these in for drugs) I have also made some of these people sandwiches etc., and we give flyers to some of the shelters and kitchens in the area so these people know where to go on a regular basis. I believe, however, that if you give with the intent of giving to “Jesus” you will be blessed regardless of what they spend it on. A good idea though is to not give enough to buy any kind of significant drugs with.

Tee
 
I agree with one of the posters that it is better to give to those supporting the homeless (Catholic Charities, poor box, etc.) than to give to the homeless directly.

If somebody needs “money for food”, you can buy inexpensive McDonald’s gift certificates and keep them handy on your person (but not in your wallet) for this purpose. So when you give them a food certificate, it won’t be used for drugs, etc. I say not in your wallet because you don’t want to tempt them into robbing you or beating you up. Perhaps use a coat pocket.
 
jmm08 said:
I agree with one of the posters that it is better to give to those supporting the homeless (Catholic Charities, poor box, etc.) than to give to the homeless directly.

If somebody needs “money for food”, you can buy inexpensive McDonald’s gift certificates and keep them handy on your person (but not in your wallet) for this purpose. So when you give them a food certificate, it won’t be used for drugs, etc. I say not in your wallet because you don’t want to tempt them into robbing you or beating you up. Perhaps use a coat pocket.
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I say they’re free, and they can hurt themselves if they so choose.

Most of the homeless people where I live are Native American, and most of them are drunks (that thing about Natives not being able to hold their liquor is absolutely true). But drunks get hungry too, and drunks need bus fare, too. It’s a sin of presumption to assume you know what they’re going to do with the money; if they take it and hurt themselves, well, they’re the ones who have to take the consequences.
 
one thing we carried regularly when we went to school downtown (homeless slept in stairwells, gargages and other campus locations) was sox and underwear, and hats and gloves in the winter, always appreciated, very hard to get.
 
One serious issue is that a substantial percentage of the homeless (documented elsewhere as being as high as 80%) are either mentally ill or drug addicts.

A couple of years ago, an inner city Catholic pastor informed me that he and his cohorts (mostly Protestant ministers) who worked in the inner city had stopped the practice of giving handouts of money on the street.

The reason was that one of the Protestant pastors had given out all his pocket change and when next accosted for a handout, told the person that he was all out of money. The person then pulled out a knife and stabbed the minister to death.

This is not a rumor or gossip; it is the recounting of a story from someone actively working there.

I don’t have any internet link. I can only tell you what a very experience, very senior Catholic pastor told me directly and personally.

They still have all the shelters and the soup kitchens, etc. They still provide clothing and jail visits and Christian burials and medical help.

But no more direct cash handouts.
 
I want to thank everyone for their thoughts. Some of them I had never thought of.

I thought about gift cards for like McDonalds and Dunkin’ Doughnuts. Not the healthiest choice, but the homeless do need coffee and breakfast when other places aren’t open in the morning.

I like the gift certificate idea. Not just for restaurants, but for groceries and clothing. I wouldn’t hand these out personally, because I would be setting myself up as a target.

I would like to see a charity set up in my area where the homeless and illegal immigrants could get gift cards and certificates that would be honored by local businesses. On the flip side, I’m sure there would those who would find a way to abuse the system.
 
I once directed a homeless person, though I can’t say for
sure she was homeless, to a nearby priest. He told her
he didn’t have time to help her. That really hurt my heart
as I was looking to him for a sense of direction in what to
do to help someone like this. I never saw her again. If I
ever meet another person like this, I will know not to direct
them to the priest.
 
cheeto1 said:
I once directed a homeless person, though I can’t say for
sure she was homeless, to a nearby priest. He told her
he didn’t have time to help her. That really hurt my heart
as I was looking to him for a sense of direction in what to
do to help someone like this. I never saw her again. If I
ever meet another person like this, I will know not to direct
them to the priest.
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Unless a priest has certificates and licenses as a social worker or runs a soup kitchen or some similar agency, he may very well not have the resources to help homeless people.

Priests have specific duties … mostly offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and giving people absolution of their sins, as well as other sacraments.

The person to whom a homeless person should be sent would be an organization such as Catholic Community Services. But even then, it depends on the specifics of the individual. If the person is already getting benefits, or has a case file, for example, that would create a different situation.
 
The first step in helping people like this is to locate or form an organization to help them. In our little town (2,800 people) we work closely with Social Services. We have a number posted on the wall in the church office (we are not a parish, merely a church served by another parish.)

The second step it to consider how to help. Beyond referring people to the organization you work with, caarrying and giving food is a good idea, as is giving sox, hats, and so on in cold weather.

The third step is to recognize the danger. ** Do not open your wallet to give money!** The sight of even a few $1 bills can set you up as a target for a mugging.

Finally, recognize there is very little you can do to help some people. Perhaps the classic case is the woman found frozen on a bus stop bench in front of the Department of Housing and Human Services. Henry Cisneros, the then Secretary of HHS, was shocked and wanted to start up new programs. But it turned out this woman had a plastic wallet around her neck, with several hundred dollars in it and a ticket for the night at a nearby shelter – and she had a family out looking for her.

Some people reject help.
 
Em_in_FL said:
Although we don’t deal with this on a regular basis… when traveling to big cities for vacation we hit the streets with a plan… (my DH’s idea)…
Always have a handful of granola bars in your pockets. It’s decent food, not junk… not habit-sustaining (you never know what that cash is being used for)… it’s just food.
Click to expand...
This is exactly the plan that I used when I worked downtown. I always kept granola bars in my coat pocket or car (for when they come up to you at a stoplight). It was something that I could afford, and something relatively nutritious and easy to hand out.
 
vern_humphrey said:
The first step in helping people like this is to locate or form an organization to help them. In our little town (2,800 people) we work closely with Social Services. We have a number posted on the wall in the church office (we are not a parish, merely a church served by another parish.)

The second step it to consider how to help. Beyond referring people to the organization you work with, caarrying and giving food is a good idea, as is giving sox, hats, and so on in cold weather.

The third step is to recognize the danger. ** Do not open your wallet to give money!** The sight of even a few $1 bills can set you up as a target for a mugging.

Finally, recognize there is very little you can do to help some people. Perhaps the classic case is the woman found frozen on a bus stop bench in front of the Department of Housing and Human Services. Henry Cisneros, the then Secretary of HHS, was shocked and wanted to start up new programs. But it turned out this woman had a plastic wallet around her neck, with several hundred dollars in it and a ticket for the night at a nearby shelter – and she had a family out looking for her.

Some people reject help.
Click to expand...
This is an excellent post.

There was a case in New York City in which a “homeless” man would assault pedestrians in Manhattan. On first review, it turned out that the homeless man suffered from some mental illness but refused to take medication which he had and which would effectively treat his condition.

On second review, the “homeless” man turned out to have a legitimate government pension with a substantial income.

On third review, he had an apartment. (He also had a family; but, his behavior caused them to avoid contact with him. They were concerned but there was nothing they could do.)

Sometimes, unfortunately, there is just not much you can do.
 
Sr_Sally said:
This is exactly the plan that I used when I worked downtown. I always kept granola bars in my coat pocket or car (for when they come up to you at a stoplight). It was something that I could afford, and something relatively nutritious and easy to hand out.
Click to expand...
This really is a great idea! I will pass 2-3 beggars (I hesitate to assume they are homeless just because they are begging) on my way to downtown Detroit every day. I don’t like giving money, but I constantly feel guilty about just driving by, even though I know that giving them money is not always a good thing if they are an addict of some sort.

I love the granola bar idea, next time I get my own stash I’ll get some for the car to give away as well.

I gave an umbrella to a man who was begging on the corner one day in the gushing rain. He looked at me like I was crazy! 😃 I wasn’t quite sure what to make of his reaction!

~Liza
 
We are only treating the symptoms not the root causes. Handing out tolitries and gift cards are nice but they doesnt give them the gift of autonomy, finanical independence and security a sense of accomplishment. True they may be crackheads, they maybe scam artists, they maybe mentally ill, but they may have been recently evicted, they may have just lost their jobs. We can talk about how we handle “them” all we want but until we get to the root of what social conditions create homelessness we can never truly help them.
 
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