Beggars, give'em money yes or no

gronbek

gronbek

gronbek

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Joined
28 Mar 2007
Posts
316
Location
Sweden
Hi,

Guess we all see the same starting this year an increasing amount of beggars in the streets. I live in Sweden and it's realy just this year they started to appear in smaller and medium cities.

So, I can't stop thinking about to give them money or not. What is the right thing to do?

Positive things with giving money:
- You aid the person(s) for the day so they can buy food for the familly
- Positive karma for yourself

Negative side:
- You finance a larger network of begging perhaps even funding the criminals.
- The classic, give money to one and many more will appear and it is the start of a bad cycle

And as often heard, if you dont give money they will eventually disappear!!! Meaning? They move or die of starvation?

I feel bad for not giving money when passing them on the street. Perhaps they are all individual poor families who just need some help in life to startup their future. If that is the real truth!?

BR Anders
 
Interestingly, there is a beggar outside my local co-op these days.

Sits out there, rain or shine, but I think hes given up begging from me as I dont even acknowledge.

Surely there are hostels when people can eat and get on their feet, I dont see the sense in giving someone 20p...
 
I always buy a local homeless guy a cuppa when I see him, he's genuinely happy to get it. Also as we move more in to the Winter months it would be hell to be living on the streets.

I have had numerous homeless people ask me for change in the past, but if I have the time I'll always buy them food/drink instead of giving them change, because let's face it we know what it's going on. (Majority of the time)

In the center of Liverpool there is a homeless shelter where they all go and get free food and a shower, backed by the government. It's a good scheme and keeps them happy. I believe these are in a few places around the country.
 
I rarely give, use to give more often but I've seen so many sitting with a sad looking dog in horrible smelly clothing and covered in a blanket.

Wearing new trainers.

I give to small local charities rather than to beggars mostly these days. I'm not saying some don't deserve it but I'd rather not inadvertently fund a drug or alcohol addiction, giving to local charities mean food and support is on hand if they genuinely need it.
 
I always remember when I lived in London, there was always this same beggar outside the Londis near my tube station. He looked authentic - unkempt appearance, dirty clothes, scruffy dog on a piece of string. One day I was walking to the local supermarket and I saw this fella coming out of a really nice house, far better than the pokey flat I lived in. Food for thought.
 
HELL NO!! I once felt nice gave a homeless man £20 quid and a sandwich and he asked me for money again the NEXT FLIPPING DAY.

I soon learned that a lot of them team up and camp cash points and certain shops to get money so they can fund there habbits.

Even if there genuine a lot of the time they will ask you again.


Never again........ £20 quid and the guy had the nerve to ask me for more so i told him to ***** off.

The most ill ever do for homeless is give them food if they look like there in need but never money.
 
scorza said:
I always remember when I lived in London, there was always this same beggar outside the Londis near my tube station. He looked authentic - unkempt appearance, dirty clothes, scruffy dog on a piece of string. One day I was walking to the local supermarket and I saw this fella coming out of a really nice house, far better than the pokey flat I lived in. Food for thought.
Click to expand...

i read this story aswell in the Daily Mirror
 
Used to be standard practice just to turn around & say **** off when I lived down south & used the Tube a lot. Give them any time at all & they get aggressive but if you just turn around & say **** off they just wander off to the next victim.
Now I live in my little town I still feel like saying **** off to anybody shaking a bucket or a tin but I refrain as I'm not like that anymore. :p
 
You're better off giving it to one of the many homeless charities, Shelter for example.
 
I ran out of money in Munich, and a busking group working the street handed me enough cash for a hostel bed and breakfast before I got myself a job.

So I always throw a few bob into the hat of any busker I see other than that its just making a bad situation worse.
 
Hi again, Thanks for the response.

I want to explain the situation a little more since I believe most of you is perhaps reflecting the local "native" beggar that has always been at the street corner so to say.

What I meant was the recently escalation of foreign beggars mostly romanians. So with that in mind perhaps the answer is a little bit different.

But as someone said give' em food instead is a good idea
 
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