Giving money to a man on the street?

[polishdude]

Ok so today my friends and I were walking home and we stopped by a gas station to get something to drink. At the front was a guy in his 20s that was sitting against the gas station in an average jacket and jeans. He was shaking a bit. So he asked us if we can spare some change. My friends obviously acted like they didn’t hear him and went into the station. But I said yeah sure and i pulled out 4 dollars and gave him $2 cause i wanted to buy something from the station. Then when we were on our way home again my friends started getting pissed at me for giving him some change cause they said he’d use it for drugs. And I said that you can’t be 100% sure. And we kept arguing and stuff and got nowhere.

So now tell me this… Did i do the right thing or not?

 

[LisaB]

I wouldn’t go so far as to say you did the wrong thing by giving the man money, but I myself don’t give the homeless any money. Although you are right that we can’t be 100% sure how they money will be spent, it is indeed very likely that it will not be used to buy a hamburger, but rather cigarettes, alcohol or drugs.

Another issue with giving money to the homeless is that it enables them to continue in this lifestyle. If they didn’t make any money panhandling, they’d have no choice but do something with their lives - perhaps get some help from the human service agencies in town and get a job. But as long as they can support their basic needs by standing on the corner and begging for money, what’s the motivation to change their lives? I’m all for charity, but if you want to help the poor, I say give the money to various organizations in your town that help the poor to turn their lives around.

 

[crazzeto]

Well, it turns out Jesus spoke directly on this subject. Let’s read what he had to say:

drbo.org/chapter/47025.htm

31 And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty. 32 And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. 34 Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in:

36 Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. 37 Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee? 39 Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? 40 And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.

41 Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. 44 Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? 45 Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me.

46 And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.

What’s interesting, really, when you read the above passage is that there’s no equivocation for “you gave me money, and I wasn’t looking for booze so that makes it ok. If I was looking for booze or drugs, you’d be standing on the left side over there with the damned errr…umm… I’m getting to that”. All kidding aside, God will judge you only based upon what your intensions were, your intensions were to give that guy a few dollars so he could get a meal, or get a ride somewhere or whatever. You did this for Christ, that was a noble thing. Ultimatly that’s all that matters, if the homeless man does go out and use this for booze, or drugs or some other illicit purpose. Then well, that’s between them and God. You should feel good about what you did!

 

[polishdude]

thanks crazzeto that makes me feel much better now.

 

[StrawberryJam]

I wouldn’t go so far as to say you did the wrong thing by giving the man money, but I myself don’t give the homeless any money. Although you are right that we can’t be 100% sure how they money will be spent, it is indeed very likely that it will not be used to buy a hamburger, but rather cigarettes, alcohol or drugs.

Another issue with giving money to the homeless is that it enables them to continue in this lifestyle. If they didn’t make any money panhandling, they’d have no choice but do something with their lives - perhaps get some help from the human service agencies in town and get a job. But as long as they can support their basic needs by standing on the corner and begging for money, what’s the motivation to change their lives? I’m all for charity, but if you want to help the poor, I say give the money to various organizations in your town that help the poor to turn their lives around.

I wonder what kind of services the homeless can get at all today. Especially with winter upon us.

 

[LisaB]

I wonder what kind of services the homeless can get at all today. Especially with winter upon us.

For example, when I lived in Denver, I interviewed for a volunteer position at a local homeless shelter there (yes, you had to interview to volunteer!). The homeless shelter offered 30-day programs that assigned you to a social worker who worked with you to help you find a job. You were required to search for a job during the day, and you met with your social worker on a regular basis to work on job-search skills. If you were enrolled in the program, you got a good bed at the shelter in a semi-private room, access to laundry facilities, showers, etc. Other services offered to the poor are employment services (through Catholic Charities, maybe through other organizations as well), soup kitchens through various charities where the homeless can get a warm meal, adult literacy services - these are just the ones I know of. I’m sure there are others.

 

[lovemybatman]

I think Mother Theresa said that what matters is that you give. You can’t control necessarily what that person does with the gift. As someone previously said, that’s between them and God.
I personally think that to avoid worrying about money going to ill usage, you could handle it this way: if you see someone with a sign that says “Hungry” you could go get them some food instead of giving them money, or some sort of other equivalent according to their apparent or expressed need. It takes a bit more time than just giving them money, but it would alleviate the wondering/worrying.

 

[ljubim]

It’s charity/almsgiving… while food is slightly better to give than money, it is really good to help these people!

 

[apromisemade]

While it is true that that person could very well have gone and spent the money on drugs, you yourself didn’t do anything wrong because your intention, I gather, was to try to help someone in need.

It’s also true to that you couldn’t know for sure. So honestly that’s all it comes down to, what your intentions were. God can forgives us for our mistakes because he can see into our hearts and know if our intentions were honorable or not.

There really is nothing inherently wrong with charity. Not to long ago I saw a homeless man sitting in the park on my way to the grocery store. So when I was shopping and bought myself some food, I got some for him as well and walked up to him and offered it to him on my way back. It is certainly debatable what is the best way to help someone in such a position. But once you handed the money to him, any wrongdoing was passed to him as well.

 

[mullenpm]

I always give a needy person money when I see them on the street but if I am close to a fast food restaurant I will generally get a bag of food and give it to them. No one has ever refused and asked for money instead.

But, let me tell you a funny story (it’s funny now, not at the time).

I was entering my bank and standing at the door was a man who looked just so pathetic and downtrodden. He did not ask for money, and I had only two dollar bills in my purse, so I gave it to him. I then went into the bank to make a deposit.

I was in line and noticed someone behind me. Here was my pathetic and downtrodden soul waiting to make a deposit of my two dollar bills to his account. In his defense, he didn’t ask me for money, I feely gave it to him.

And, while waiting at the bus stop on the same street I noticed him standing in front of a bank on the next corner.

He probably had a very profitable day going from bank to bank.

 

[StrawberryJam]

If the bible condems letting the right hand know what the left is doing (in terms of charity) I must wonder if there is a condemnation for letting everyone know why they don’t give.

Just a question, don’t get wound up about it.

 

[StillWondering]

If say you have a car, one thing that you can do is carry a case of bottled water in your car and give that out instead. People need clean water more immediately than food in terms of health and well-being imo.

 

[Catholic90]

He probably had a very profitable day going from bank to bank.

No doubt! They did a study here a few years ago, and many of these panhandlers clear $100K a year - cash! (ie. tax free). Not bad for “homeless”, which some of these scammers are not - they actually live in very nice suburban homes and drive pretty decent cars. A local TV station “exposed” some of these people a few years ago.

My friend used to live in Portland and handed out granola bars to homeless when she saw them. She said many of them just threw the granola bar away.

I say give to a charity.

 

[Auriel]

I like what crazzeto said,.

I give my change from time to time. Do you realize how little Social security pays some of these men/women? Especially the older ones?

I went to a Vietnam veterans trailer from time to time just to check on him because I wanted too. He had a monthly check that amounted to almost nothing. Medicare did not cover all the meds. He was in constant pain. He was also on oxygen 24/7 and in a wheelchair. They may get a visit once or twice a week, but that does not help with cleanliness.

He was a forgotten man who drank to forget. It was not my job to judge him. My number was the last one dialed from his phone when they found his body. That made me feel better, that he remembered me in the end.

Some people on disability are allowed to supplement if it does not exceed x amount. But I have seen those with amputated limbs, etc…kind of hard to supplement.

Those that could get around themselves with modified transportation are penalized and lose benefits because the “special van” or whatever, goes over the value they are allowed, even if gifted to them.

I live in Texas where winters are mild but we always get a few surprise freezes from out of the blue. When that happens many die from exposure.

The shelters are overcrowded and when anyone tries to build a new one the community opposes it, They do not want one in their neighborhood. And to be honest many are mentally ill, the insurance ran out and they were left on the streets. Since there is not enough room at the shelters others pass out blankets, people still die.

I know one man, probably 30’s, he is handsome and has a mental illness. He will not go to a shelter because he will not give up his only friend, his dog. I buy him and the dog hamburgers, they both appreciate it.

To the op (original poster) your friends should be ashamed of themselves, not only is what the homeless does between them and God, who you give to is between you and God. God sees your heart. It is not like your throwing away your life savings.

I just do not like being lied to. I asked one what he would do with it, he said get him a 40 ounce, and if enough, a hamburger. I gave him extra just because he was honest.

 

[puzzleannie]

there is no moral issue in this situation. There is a prudential issue, and prudence is also a virtue, and should be called into play whenever you make a situational judgment like this. Yes it is good to give charity to the needy, yes it is also good to give responsibly, no you are not morally responsible if the recipient of a gift uses it for immoral purposes.

 

[NoWhereMan]

I wonder what kind of services the homeless can get at all today. Especially with winter upon us.

We Have to remember that a good number of the homeless are mentally ill, in a lot of cases that`s what causes them to end up on the streets

 

[NoWhereMan]

Ok so today my friends and I were walking home and we stopped by a gas station to get something to drink. At the front was a guy in his 20s that was sitting against the gas station in an average jacket and jeans. He was shaking a bit. So he asked us if we can spare some change. My friends obviously acted like they didn’t hear him and went into the station. But I said yeah sure and i pulled out 4 dollars and gave him $2 cause i wanted to buy something from the station. Then when we were on our way home again my friends started getting pissed at me for giving him some change cause they said he’d use it for drugs. And I said that you can’t be 100% sure. And we kept arguing and stuff and got nowhere.

So now tell me this… Did i do the right thing or not?

You did a good thing, You gave from your heart:thumbsup:

 

[ready]

You did the right thing. You were prompted by love to give and had no idea what the poor man would do with the money. As I see it, when we say no to love’s promptings it’s like we are going against our nature and letting our hearts have opportunity to begin to grow hard or callous. If you feared the shaking man would spend the money on drugs and didn’t give any money to him as a result, I’d say you’d be doing the right thing in that case, too. You don’t want to enable someone you suspect could harm himself with drugs or alcohol. Even though it’s only a suspicion of yours - and it could be a false suspicion - you’d still have to follow your conscience to not be an enabler to the man.

I hope this helped.

 

[EmeraldWings]

Ok so today my friends and I were walking home and we stopped by a gas station to get something to drink. At the front was a guy in his 20s that was sitting against the gas station in an average jacket and jeans. He was shaking a bit. So he asked us if we can spare some change. My friends obviously acted like they didn’t hear him and went into the station. But I said yeah sure and i pulled out 4 dollars and gave him $2 cause i wanted to buy something from the station. Then when we were on our way home again my friends started getting pissed at me for giving him some change cause they said he’d use it for drugs. And I said that you can’t be 100% sure. And we kept arguing and stuff and got nowhere.

So now tell me this… Did i do the right thing or not?

i’ll tell you want my priest does, when he comes across a homeless person, and they ask for money, he does not give them the money, instead, he asks them what they want to buy, and he goes and buys it for them, that way there’s no harm done.

i don’t think you did anything wrong, because you obviously aren’t aware of any mortal sin here(and neither am i) but i think buying what they want for them is really good advise, and i’d do that instead.