Homeless Man asked me for money

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Shannon46 said:
There’s no need to feel guilty for not giving a homeless person money and walking away because most of the time homeless people spend money for the wrong reasons and it’s usually to support nasty habbits such as smoking, alcohol, drugs etc.
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What if they are Jesus in disguise?
 
I will give material aid like food or clothing. Never cash. My money should aid the PERSON, not feed the demon of addiction that enslaves them. If I feed the demon that eats their soul, instead of the person that is a child of God, I do evil!
 
Most times I do NOT give to street beggars… a couple of times I offered to buy them food and one time I did and the guy tossed it in the trash right after I left.

I do contribute to charities for the homeless and to soup kitchens.

MY confessors told me to let the Holy Spirit guide you. IF you feel compelled to give do so, otherwise contribute to the organizations that help the poor.
 
MidnightSun12 said:
Thanks for the reply, JM!

My thoughts are that if a poor person is asking for food, then I think taking him for lunch or providing a food ticket is absolutely acceptable. On the other hand, if a beggar is asking for money then how do we know if offering only food would be addressing the needs that are behind his request? For example, what if this poor person had some bad loans that he had to pay off, or if he was looking to buy a pair of mitts for the cold season? I just think we run the risk of judging rashly when we make the decision that a person asking for money should recieve charitable assistance of a different nature then what they are asking for. It’s also way less stressful when we can just give freely without worrying about whether our charity is being recieved in a way that meets our personal standards and trusting it to God! 🙂 .

Of course, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with going above the call and offering both a lunch and a few extra dollars! 😃
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That’s why we direct them to the helping agencies. The helping agencies can get them a hot shower, a change of clothes, transportation to a job interview, and many other things that we can’t simply hand out by the side of the street.
 
This is a bit of a dilemma I’ve been faced with as well. I know that some people are homeless due to being down on their luck or having a mental illness, but many are homeless due to an addiction to alcohol or drugs. Because it is usually not possible to know which of these categories someone falls into when they ask for money I strike a compromise: I give most people the benefit of the doubt and give them money, BUT, because of the very real possibility that many of these are lying about their supposed need and are really just supporting a drug or alcohol habit, I don’t give them that much. Usually one or two dollars.

But then there are exceptions to these:
  1. If somebody is clearly mentally ill, I’ll be much more generous, giving them say $10 or $20.
  2. If there is good grounds to believe that someone is going to turn around and use the donated money for drugs or alcohol, I will decline to give them anything. (Once a man who was clearly drunk was standing at the door of a liquor store as I passed and asked me for bus money. I declined.)
I believe in your case you had just reason to believe that he was going to turn around and use any funds given for alcohol. BUT, YOU DID GIVE HIM SOMETHING! You gave him your time, your ear, your respect, and your counsel. You gave Jesus charity when he came to you for it. Your description sounds like a job well done.
 
Jesus always first offered his friendship. He wants what is best for us. If you had had money, and you knew it would help this person, then offer it. If you think that giving him money would harm him (buying more alcohol, etc) then, no.
 
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