Do you give money to pan handlers?

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We are expected to give money to the poor. Does that include giving change to pan handlers?
 
well hes pretty obviously poor so no he doesnt quaklify.
you can only give money to people who are poor but dont try and get money.
 
I’ve never actually encountered a panhandler but I think I would give them some money. Whatsoever you do to the least of my brother, you do unto me 🙂
 
Boston has no shortage of panhandlers, they call it “stemming” and I call it begging. The majority tend to be professional homeless and can “stem” up to $80 to $100/day.

Being from Boston all my life, I tend to see the same panhandlers everyday for ten years or more on the streets which makes me suspicious of those individuals.

But when I have money, I always give to the panhandler that I have never seen before, or looks for real, and especially to the women.

And if I don’t have any extra cash, I give these people a few of my cigerettes which tends to be more appreciated (I have never smoked, but carry a pack of butts for distribution out of habit from volunteering in homeless shelters).

I would rather give directly to the individual than to some faceless charity.
 
Because we don’t know if those who are begging for money might spend the money on drugs or alcohol, it is sometimes prudent to either buy them a meal at nearby restaurant or direct them to St. Vincent de Paul or a nearby soup kitchen. Those who want help will receive the advice well; those who don’t may get angry with you.
 
I prefer to give a bigger tip to the guy at the carwash and to donate to His Hands [our parish version of the Vincent dePaul society]
 
In the city where I live there are a lot of homeless begging for money on street corners. I can easily see 4 or 5 a day on my way to and from work. Some of them look bad off, others look like run-away teens, others look a bit thuggish. When I moved here I was overwhelmed at the numbers and had to find a way to deal with it (you can’t just ignore that many people every day). My DH and I decided on this: we almost always carry an extra peanut butter sandwich or two, or some packages of cheese crackers. We give out food whenever our paths cross one of these men/women who are asking for help. DH started including a prayer card in with each sandwich. The nice thing about giving food is that I don’t feel obligated to evaluate whether the recipient is really needy or just scamming for money. It just takes a little bit of forethought to make sure you have the sandwiches/crackers ready to go. We never give money directly to homeless but do support the St Vincent DePaul society and local shelters with donations when we can.

peace,
N
 
no. because too many have given to them just to have a kife taken to them and get robbed or even worse. My partially disabled wife needs me providing, more than they need money. Id give to a hoemless shelter that they can go to though.
 
I really agonize over this issue because SO many of these folks are druggies who are getting money for their habit. They now populate virtually every freeway ramp and many are now standing at the driveway of the supermarket. WHat has become so disgusting is that there are PILES of litter as these folks stand there eating fast food, drinking pop, smoking and then toss the trash on the ground. One freeway ramp looks like a dumpzone now. There ARE many shelters, hot meal programs, etc in this area. So I think most of them could find food, shelter and a hot shower if they needed it. However you need cash to buy drugs.

BUT there is always that part of me wondering about ‘angels unaware’ or ‘the least of these.’ Our church put together little bags with some hygiene items, a granola bar and a couple meal tickets for a low cost cafe to give to the freeway ramp folks. That seems like a more positive way to approach it. If the person is hungry or needs some handwipes or a toothbrush then they get them and at least they can’t use them to buy drugs.

Lisa N
 
This used to be a confusing subject for me. How do you know what they’ll do with the money?
Then I heard a homily where the priest said to “look for the face of Christ in everyone”. So now I do. It doesn’t matter what they do with the $. Once you’ve given it over, that issue is between the person you handed it to and God.
If I have it, I give it.
 
I have a problem giving money directly because a lot of the folks go out and buy beer and such here in Orlando you can see groups of homeless folks loitering around drinking alcohol, especially near busy roads (SR 50). Then again, if you donate to a non-profit group, they probably take a chunk out of the donation for administration fees. But I’d take my chances with the later given the reputation of the organization. I don’t donate directly to the person because of fear that I will help pay for their addiction or whatnot.
 
I usually buy them food, instead of giving them money. I head to a fast food resturant and get them a value meal and give them that. That way you know that they are spending it on food and not on drugs.
 
Tyler Smedley:
I usually buy them food, instead of giving them money. I head to a fast food resturant and get them a value meal and give them that. That way you know that they are spending it on food and not on drugs.
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Agree. While philisophically I’d like to think that I should have faith and since I have the money I should give it to the needy. But are you doing people any favors by feeding a self destructive habit? Also quite frankly why are these people hanging at the ramps instead of staying in a safer shelter, getting treatment, or working? Because we reward them by giving them money. The occasional freeway ramp panhandler has morphed (in this area) to people hanging around at the edge of shopping malls or supermarkets. Plus some of them are getting very aggressive. We just had a report of a woman being chased several blocks for refusing a request for “spare change.”

Again maybe there is no good answer but either providing food or a referral to a shelter might be a more truly compassionate way to approach the situation

Lisa N
 
It was discouraging when my daily routine took me past the same panhandlers day after day (sometimes several times in the same day). But we are called to give to the poor. Not give-to-the-poor-unless-they’re-going-to-buy-drugs-or-liquor, not give-to-the-poor-and-expect-them-to-stop-asking (“the poor you will always have with you”) – give to the poor. So I developed the habit of giving to everyone …a dime. I figured someone who is truly needy will make the best possible use of that dime, and someone who is not will not be able to buy much liquor on ten cents.

While I was myself out of work (but not resorted to panhandling), I dropped out of that habit, being in greater need of funds myself.

I’m now in a new workplace and don’t recognize the local panhandlers …yet. But it is about time I resume my previous habit. Time to go to the bank and pick up a roll of dimes…

tee
 
I only see them when I go to downtown Seattle, by Pike Place market. Last time we went I gave each of the girls $2 to give to whom they chose. They donated to street musicians and crippled beggars. I tend to choose less aggressive types. I never give to pushy beggars, only the quiet ones.

The worst beggars I’ve encountered were the gypsies in Poland. They were super aggressive and sent their children, wouldn’t let you alone until you gave them something. I think they must’ve cracked down on them 'cause the second time I went I didn’t see many.
 
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tee_eff_em:
It was discouraging when my daily routine took me past the same panhandlers day after day (sometimes several times in the same day). But we are called to give to the poor. Not give-to-the-poor-unless-they’re-going-to-buy-drugs-or-liquor, not give-to-the-poor-and-expect-them-to-stop-asking (“the poor you will always have with you”) – give to the poor. So I developed the habit of giving to everyone …a dime. I figured someone who is truly needy will make the best possible use of that dime, and someone who is not will not be able to buy much liquor on ten cents.

While I was myself out of work (but not resorted to panhandling), I dropped out of that habit, being in greater need of funds myself.

I’m now in a new workplace and don’t recognize the local panhandlers …yet. But it is about time I resume my previous habit. Time to go to the bank and pick up a roll of dimes…

tee
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I won’t say I haven’t given money to pan-handlers, but we must accept responsibility for our actions.

If you had a co-worker who was a drug addict or an alcoholic, and you did his work for him, you’d be what’s called an “enabler” – one who makes it possible for the substance abuser to continue his abuse without facing the consequences. And that’s wrong.

When you give money with a reasonable expectation that it will go for alcohol or drugs, you’re just as much an enabler.

If we really want to help, we should find a charity that works with these people and give to that charity.
 
Well, I see nothing wrong with giving to a beggar. And, I wouldn’t be high and mighty about their habits. We all have them. For some of us it’s bondage to gluttony, alcohol, sex, chocolate, etc and so forth. Just because we have worldly status and a nice car and house doesn’t mean that we should look down on beggars, most of whom suffer from physical or mental disability.
 
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WhiteDove:
Well, I see nothing wrong with giving to a beggar. And, I wouldn’t be high and mighty about their habits. We all have them. For some of us it’s bondage to gluttony, alcohol, sex, chocolate, etc and so forth. Just because we have worldly status and a nice car and house doesn’t mean that we should look down on beggars, most of whom suffer from physical or mental disability.
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Your position is not far from former Surgeon General C. Everitt Koop’s response to a similar question in “Ethics in America” a few years ago.

Of course, Koop explicitly wrote the beggar off – considering him completely lost – and taking the position that all you could do for such a person was to let him buy a little oblivion before he died.

Now, would you give drugs or alcohol to a child, even if they asked you? Why then subsidize drugs or alcohol for someone who is just as unable to control themselves?

We don’t “look down” on children, nor do we deny them things because they don’t have worldly status and nice cars and houses. We deny them things that might hurt them, and do our best to see that when they need medical treatment, they get it.
 
Dear Vern,
I’m a nurse, and the number one cause of physical suffering that I see is sloth and gluttony. And, I see a lot of suffering. It pains me greatly.
 
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