What do you say to panhandlers who ask for money?

What do you look like? Anyone ever just suddenly give you money? Tell me the state you live in. I might move there.

 

When I see someone working hard at a restaurant type place I like to slip them a $10 or $20. Once gave a lady worker $100 who helped me unload a truck full of trash at a county dump. She said she had two little boys and it was almost Christmas. But I never give a beggar anything. Last time I was approached/intimidated by a sob story young man I suggested he get a job. He screamed at me that he had a job. I told him I did too and the money I earned went for bills and food and I didn't have any to give away. As I was walking off he started following me and said, "Thanks for nothing, you f****** a******. I spun around and told him if he didn't leave me alone I would blow his head off. He left and called the sheriff. Then he followed me in his car (yeah he had a car) and when I stopped he got out and was talking to the sheriff's dept on his cell phone (yeah he had a cell phone). A deputy showed up and took one look at the druggie and one look at me, heard both our stories and sent the druggie/beggar on his way. I thanked the deputy for understanding the situation for what it was and also for the way he handled it. I will not be intimidated by a beggar. Too many people give them money just to get the beggar to leave. The beggars know all the tricks and sob stories. You give them a dime you are a sucker in their eyes.

 

Sadly the record has been broken since I made that post - a few people have now asked now that I work closer to the city.

 

I ask if they take debit or credit because I don't carry cash.

If they say 'yes', I just shake my head 'no'.

 

When you give money to a beggar you are reducing his work ethic

 

If I am in a hurry (or am in a bad mood), I would say 'sorry but no'.

If I have time and am not in a pissy mood, I will say 'no, but if you are hungry, I will buy you (whatever is the closest source of food - convenience store, hot dog stand, McDonald's, etc.)'. If they say 'yes', then I buy say a hot dog, break off a small portion for myself and hand them the rest.
Why break off a small portion? I know a LOT of homeless people/drug addicts and you would probably be amazed what they do with ANYTHING whole that they get their hands on to raise money for their habits. Sell it, exchange it, complain about it in hopes of a refund...the list is endless. But you cannot exchange a partially eaten hot dog for anything (without a receipt).
If they say 'no' to my offer...then they probably are just panhandling for drugs/booze.
NEVER, EVER give an addict/drunk cash...no matter what they say. Give 'em food or drink or over the counter medication (like Tylenol) or even a hug (if you are brave)...but NEVER cash.

 

Don't hang around them if they bother you.. If you choose to hang around them, don't complain about whom you choose to hang around.

 

There is this one armed black guy that offers to wash windows at my regular gas station around Christmas time. He is in disability, has a house, but likes to make a few extra bucks to spend on his grand kids. I give him money, but rarely anyone else.

 

Well done, imo.
Yup...never, ever give money to a panhandler. Give 'em food, drink, etc....but never money or anything that can be sold for money.

 

I walk right on by.

 

My wife and I have both been homeless. It was some of the hardest times of my life going hungry and sleeping anywhere I could find a place.

I usually try to give a dollar or two if I am downtown, but I have to watch my wife, she tries to give them 10.

 

I tell them I don't carry money with me, I don't smoke, but I do have a chocolate bar if they like chocolate.

I normally give out about 5 chocolate bars to the homeless each day.

Occasionally a blanket too.

 

I'm sorry. What happened? If you want to share, it'll be cool. People will like the story and it'll be highly motivating, what not to do. And the whole story, how'd you cope.

 

I ask them if they can break a $100 for me.

The other thing is when you see they are sleeping under a bridge or in a cardboard box I will marvel "You get to live in a box, I wish I had a box like you. I have to use a paper towel tube."

 

Just young and stupid. For me, I was in a bad relationship and ended up broke. My wife was with a loser with a drug problem.

 

No hereditary real estate? Or she took your home?

 

I don't give out money (I tell em I don't have cash, which is true about 99% of the time).
I'll usually bum em a smoke.
On the rare occasion they ask for food, I'll do what I can.
I almost always let em use my phone when they ask for that.
I'll even get em a beer if they're honest enough to ask for one (and obviously over 21).

 

@modernpaladin

Me too, matey. I often keep the moneys in the debit cards. I just don't have cash on me some times.

Wait, uh? What? Boms want to use the phone? Well that's new, sir. Call who? Not that it's our job to dig about but, call who?

 

I smoke and drink and am not rich. When I can, I give a beer or a cig or buck 25.

When I cant, I cant. And say so.

 

No, we were not married. Just living together. I ended up leaving town and spent some time working on a farm living in a tent. It was actually a good experience in the end. I ended up meeting some great people.

 

Always be aware of women. That's the final conclusion. I hope it ended well at the end.

 

Fellas, here's your typical Bulgarian bum and the reason I give them no moneys!

Bolyarka beer 2 liters + bum = drunk bum with bloodied up right hand knuckles. I'm sorry but that's insane.



It's my photo, I've posted it here:
http://www.politicalforum.com/index...e-real-bulgaria.543050/page-2#post-1069713257

 

You got that right...LOL Everything is good. I graduate with my BS this month and start my grad program in December. I married a beautiful woman half my age and we have two beautiful daughters together. Thanks.

 

What do you say to panhandlers who ask for money?

Nothing.

Though I do occasionally hand out socks, scarves, jackets in the winter that I accumulated all year.

 

Usually, a ride.

Guy covered in dried blood and tattoos, carrying a bunch of stuff in ripped up paper sacks, asked to use my phone a few days ago in Tenessee. Said he was in a car wreck 4 days ago, just got released from the hospital, and came back to the hotel where'd he'd been living to find that his wife had got them kicked out of the room for having a disallowed cat, and he didn't know where she had gone. His phone was impounded with his car, and he didn't know how to get a hold of anyone to go anywhere or do anything. The hotel wouldn't give him his stuff because the room was in his wife's mother's name, and she was unreachable on vacation in Florida.

Ya, I thought exactly the same thing you're thinking right now: 'BullShyt'

But all I had to do all night was sit outside my hotel room and drink beer, so I let him use my phone. And upon hearing his conversations with his dad, his mom, his boss (all over speakerphone) and the texts from his wife, it was all true. I also learned while sitting there with him that he was prescribed painkillers for a car accident from a year before, and had recently got hooked on heroine after his prescription was cancelled because he got caught selling a portion of it. The recent car accident was because he was high, and the 4 day hospital stay was because he was detoxing. Its not particularly relevant to the story, but I found it interesting (and possibly a good sign for his future) that he realized after he had detoxed that the pain of withdrawal was far worse than the pain he originally started shooting up to relieve, and that once he got all that stuff out of his system, the pain was mostly gone anyway, and had been largely psychological. And his biggest worry (after finding out that he still had his job and his cat was OK) was how he was going to convince his wife (whom he had got hooked on drugs as well) to get clean.

Anyway, his dad (a loudly and hilariously stereotypical Texan-biker-ganger-turned-walmart-truck-driver) eventually came and got him, and they were off to go find his wife.

And to his credit, he did offer to get me a beer from the gas station next door in exchange for using my phone... but I had plenty already, and I'm pretty sure he was actually offering to steal a beer for me.