How do beggers find that easier than working a few hours ?

[LordVader]

I'm thinking of some guys I see that look more or less in shape, but caught up with drugs I think.

 

 

Maybe they don't have a high school diploma ? But they seem to be social, they have friends.

 

 

And somehow they find it easy and worth the hours a day holding a change cup.

 

 

 

 

To me that would seem WAY harder than getting a part-time job, and surely they don't get minimum wage.

 

 

 

Well I don't talk to anyone anymore IRL so I guess I won't find out from them.

[alphamale]

they like the lifestyle of being homeless

[CautiouslyOptimistic]

Why on earth would you think they see it as the easy way out? I don't think there's anything easy once addiction gets a grip on you. Open your mind a little bit.

[Blanco]

I'm thinking of some guys I see that look more or less in shape, but caught up with drugs I think.

 

 

Maybe they don't have a high school diploma ? But they seem to be social, they have friends.

 

 

And somehow they find it easy and worth the hours a day holding a change cup.

 

 

 

 

To me that would seem WAY harder than getting a part-time job, and surely they don't get minimum wage.

 

 

 

Well I don't talk to anyone anymore IRL so I guess I won't find out from them.

 

Some of them are mentally unwell and unable to get/hold even a part-time job.

[major_merrick]

I see some of the same guys on the street corners in the city where I work. Always the same guys on the same corners. I also see them hanging out, so I know they are friends. I wonder why they don't find work either, but somehow they end up eating and taking care of themselves.

 

I think part of it is that not everyone needs or wants what we consider even the "basic necessities." Some people are content with nothing more than a bit of food and a spot to sleep. I think there's also some mental illness and drug use going on. Since many jobs drug test, that puts some people out of "real" work.

[basil67]

Instead of hiding away and not speaking to anybody in real life, how about you go volunteer in a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. You would not only be helping those who need it, but you'd doubtless learn a lot more about them and how they ended up where they are.

[CautiouslyOptimistic]

Instead of hiding away and not speaking to anybody in real life, how about you go volunteer in a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. You would not only be helping those who need it, but you'd doubtless learn a lot more about them and how they ended up where they are.

 

Amen!!!!!!!

[carhill]

Panhandling can be quite profitable. No taxes, qualify for all kinds of public assistance, lots of free time.

 

Back in the day I had a standing offer for any of the panhandlers who'd stop by the shop for a handout that I'd pay them prevailing wage in cash for sweeping the shop up. Never a taker. At that time wages were around 6 bucks an hour for day labor. The hookers out front charged 20 bucks for a blow job.

 

Most of the area's homeless panhandlers lived under a freeway underpass about 1/2 mile away; that was near the homeless shelter where they could get food. Nowadays I see more with cars stashed; first saw that when owning a couple rentals in town and the stoplight sign panhandlers took off awhile back.

[MuddyFootprints]

It can be difficult to distinguish between panhandlers and the truly needy and homeless. I often recall a city trip where I was handing money out and offering food to everyone I encountered. It took me some time to realize that there was an hierarchy (for lack of a better term) of who got what spot and when. Food wasn't a concern for these people. The offer to buy a coffee and a sandwich was turned down.

 

And then, and this image haunts me to this day, we were trekking through the market area on one of the coldest days of the year. We all had to buy extra outdoor wear to tolerate the weather. While we were shopping, taking care of our own needs, a woman walked past us in bare feet, at least three times the size they should have been and deep purple. I'm still horrified by what I saw and what I did absolutely nothing about. She didn't ask for anything and was probably trying to be invisible, and I let her be invisible. I can't imagine that she kept her feet or her life. I watched her walk by and did absolutely nothing. Nobody else did either. I'm sick about it to this day.

[preraph]

In Dallas, there are companies whose business is 2 hole Beggars all over town and put them on street corners to collect money. People who do this want to be able to go use drugs or alcohol at any moment. They can't pass a drug screen and a lot of employers ask for that now. Many of them have been in prison and have trouble getting work because of that. if you are physically able to stand out in the heat or cold and beg for money you are physically able to do just about anything in the workplace, so you shouldn't give those people money. They are just feeding a habit.

 

Keep in mind that if someone is disabled, they are getting disability paycheck from the government every month.

 

Many of the ones on the street are mentally ill. I feel worst for them, but it's very hard to distinguish between someone mentally ill and someone with a habit, and they could be both. I try to watch for women who look like they are not thin and starved and been on the street forever who may be fleeing abuse and were totally dependent on the man and have nowhere to go and no way to feed themselves or their kids. But I only see one once in awhile who doesn't look drug wasted.

 

Your local police will often know the story on a lot of those people, so if there's one you're particularly worried about, you might try to catch up with the neighborhood police and pick their brain. police will always tell you not to give them anything because most of them are just scammers and addicts. Remember that if someone is always out there and they're not old, there's some reason they don't have relatives or friends they can go to, and that reason is because they probably used them all up.

[glows]

When I was studying many years ago in university I volunteered to take food down to the difficult areas of town. It was eye-opening for me and humbling. I met a lot of people. I don't tend to see many panhandlers in my days these days. I have to admit I'm neither here nor there when it comes to an opinion on "beggars". It seems everyone's situation is slightly different.

[alphamale]

Lastly, you have your professional beggars. This lot annoys me. They often have a place to stay, own a car, and live relatively normal lives, they just find that begging for money is more lucrative for them than working is, and they don't like the responsibility that comes with holding down steady work. Begging is relatively easy money, tax free, and it doesn't affect the free government money that they collect on top of it. All in all, they can do pretty well. There was a guy in a town near me that was always out begging near the Walmart. Until someone caught sight of him in a local club with a wad of money. His picture got circulated all over Facebook and his begging days were over. Unless he moved to a new area anyway.

 

haha, these guys are the real capitalists in our society

[preraph]

I was stuck at a gas station waiting to meet a client back in the 90s. She was handing off a job to me before everything was done electronically. I was ther 45 minutes and it was right on the busy innercity freeway. This guy with a heavy limp was panhandling there. He could barely walk. After awhile, he sprinted over to the gas station to get himself a Coke. He wasn't at all crippled.

 

The ones I hate worst are those who cripple a dog and then use it as an excuse to get money, saying it's to take it to the vet. I call the police on those. Or anyone with even a healthy dog if it's out on the curb and they're not keeping it from getting in the street. These scammers have no conscience about anything. My friend used to give money to anyone who looked crippled until I told her they would be on disability and be making as much or more than she was making. Not that everyone can't use a little extra, but....

[thefooloftheyear]

My guys and I have been working in tough conditions this week...Temps in here well over 100degF while lifting heavy crap all day, welding, burning, etc...

 

I saw a report recently that some panhandlers in NYC regularly make bet 400-1K/day...I pay my guys pretty well....But they'd be far better off holding a cup on 5th avenue with a phony prosthetic.....

 

But I won't tell them that...

 

TFY

[eleanorrigby]

If a person is willing to put in the time and find the right place to do it, they probably could make a good amount of money.

I feel bad for the ones who do it because of drug addiction and/or not being caught by social safety nets before their life bottomed out.

 

For the ones who panhandle on purpose to make their living and manage to sort their entire life out with the money... good for them.

 

IMO they are performing a service.

For the low, low price of the change at the bottom of my purse or a spare joint, (I like passing free joints even more than $$ lol) I get an infusion of "feel good" chemicals coursing through my body for a few minutes.

Win/Win

 

Granted, I'd prefer that we put our money towards housing and other programs to get everyone that doesn't prefer to live on the streets off of them.

Because even if you can make hundreds a day, you almost need that much to survive each day when you don't have housing, and that's difficult to get if you don't have a job reference.

And it's difficult to get a job without a place to live.

 

Being poor is extremely expensive.

[LurkerXX]

I tend to be on the side of each story is a little different, but there are also plenty of cons and liars to go around. Also some of the more lucrative corners are controlled by organized crime-mob, gangs, ect.

[bathtub-row]

There can be a number of reasons why someone is in that kind of situation - mentally ill, poverty mentality, victim mentality, distaste for society and/or responsibilities, drug addiction, abuse, or life just kicked them in ass really, really hard and they couldn’t recover. I think it’s best not to judge because we don’t know that person’s story. If I have money, I usually hand them something. Kindness goes a long way and probably means a lot to them, whatever the circumstances.

 

One of the most fascinating stories I ever heard was about a homeless woman who was discovered by someone who knew and recognized her. She had been gone for about 15 yrs or so. She walked away from a husband and two young children. Everyone had assumed she was dead all those years. When she was found, her kids were grown and after meeting with her, they were furious, very unforgiving. Can you blame them? They wanted nothing to do with her. When asked why she did what she did, she had no real reason for it. The heartache she caused her family was immeasurable. Not only that, the husband had been a suspect all that time. They showed a picture of her before she left her family, and a picture of her when she was found - she looked like a completely different person. Being homeless turned her into a near-skeleton.

 

Most of us stay away from severe addictions and go to jobs every day because we don’t want to live in the elements, don’t want to live like animals but, for some people, maybe that lifestyle is worse than living on the streets, or something snapped inside and they found themselves without shelter. Our society can be highly stressful and it shouldn’t be surprising that there’s a percentage of people out there who just can’t cope with it for one reason or another.

[alphamale]

There can be a number of reasons why someone is in that kind of situation - mentally ill, poverty mentality, victim mentality, distaste for society and/or responsibilities, drug addiction, abuse, or life just kicked them in ass really, really hard and they couldn’t recover. I think it’s best not to judge because we don’t know that person’s story. If I have money, I usually hand them something. Kindness goes a long way and probably means a lot to them, whatever the circumstances.

 

One of the most fascinating stories I ever heard was about a homeless woman who was discovered by someone who knew and recognized her. She had been gone for about 15 yrs or so. She walked away from a husband and two young children. Everyone had assumed she was dead all those years. When she was found, her kids were grown and after meeting with her, they were furious, very unforgiving. Can you blame them? They wanted nothing to do with her. When asked why she did what she did, she had no real reason for it. The heartache she caused her family was immeasurable. Not only that, the husband had been a suspect all that time. They showed a picture of her before she left her family, and a picture of her when she was found - she looked like a completely different person. Being homeless turned her into a near-skeleton.

 

Most of us stay away from severe addictions and go to jobs every day because we don’t want to live in the elements, don’t want to live like animals but, for some people, maybe that lifestyle is worse than living on the streets, or something snapped inside and they found themselves without shelter. Our society can be highly stressful and it shouldn’t be surprising that there’s a percentage of people out there who just can’t cope with it for one reason or another.

 

that is an excellent analysis bathtub-row

[hotpotato]

I knew a guy who did counseling which included outreach to the homeless. He's try to give them his card, they'd rip it up.

 

Some people enjoy the lifestyle. One homeless woman saved $17k. No bills, just beg all day.

 

I imagine some people have addictions, learning disabilities, or criminal records which make it hard to get or keep a job.

[eleanorrigby]

Being poor is cheeeeeep. Don't mind not having a home? There are homeless camps in a lot of cities where you can set up a makeshift tent and lay your head down at night. Free of charge. If you're hungry, there are soup kitchens, restaurants that will give out free meals, and if it comes down to it, you can get some high-calorie meals at McDonald's for pennies. Or, you can ramen noodles and cook them over a fire at wherever you wanna crash at night. You can even "earn" something of a living if you wanna panhandle all day, especially if you haunt the retail spots at around Christmas time. You can get yourself some gubernment assistance for free medical care, food stamps, and some cash too. Being poor costs nothing.

 

The only poor people that find life to be expensive are the ones who wanna act like they aren't poor. Buying their kids expensive crap, getting a new car every couple years or so, using Rent-A-Center type businesses to furnish the home you rent, buying that MK purse because everyone else has one, you name it. Those people struggle mostly because they choose to.

 

It's not as cheap or lavish as you think.

There are not homeless shelters and soup kitchens on every corner. They all don't have a place to sleep at night.

Some are living in tents, some in dilapidated motor homes that they need to move every 72 hours.

Your money goes quickly if you have to spend $10 a day for a shower at the truck stop.

It's expensive to have to spend your money on fast food daily because you have no cooking facilities.

It's expensive to have to do all your laundry at the laundry mat.

It costs money to have to purchase something at an establishment just to use the toilet and that's if they even let you in.

It's expensive when you find yourself robbed of your extra pair of shoes, pants, underwear, canned food, etc and have to replace all those things.

 

I could go on.

 

Being homeless isn't fun. And even if there is a segment of the population that prefers the "freedom" of being left out in the elements, I'd wager there are more who would love and appreciate some help from someone who isn't invested in looking down their nose at them and their circumstances.

[bathtub-row]

It’s not a joyride by any stretch of the imagination. I know a wealthy man who deliberately went homeless for a week just to see what it was like. He said it was brutal. There was one shelter that was particularly kind to him and 20+ years later, he still donates money to them.

 

Trying out being homeless was also something I thought of doing when I was young - just to experience it. As a female, though, I figured that would’ve been extremely risky behavior so I never did it.

[thefooloftheyear]

I know a few co's here...

 

They tell me that a cadre of local vagrants, when the weather gets nippy, will do a little shoplifting, get thrown in the county jail...3 hots and a cot...see their buddies, watch some tv...And the cycle repeats itself the following year...

 

Also...I don't know if anyone had seen/heard this story...Evidently this homeless guy gave some woman 20 dollars for gas....The world went nuts:rolleyes::rolleyes:Like it was some great feat...I have helped many people when I was dead broke, including digging some people out of a snowbank, shoveling by hand for almost an hour....and got nothing for it.....what the hell is 20 bucks? ...Anyway....

 

One of these idiots started a GoFundMe account for this guy that netted 400K !!...

 

Well...looks like all the money's gone...Poof...

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/09/04/homeless-man-money-gofundme-spent/1192888002/

 

 

Wonder how stupid those people feel right now...

 

TFY

[alphamale]

One of these idiots started a GoFundMe account for this guy that netted 400K !!...

 

Well...looks like all the money's gone...Poof...

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/09/04/homeless-man-money-gofundme-spent/1192888002/

 

 

Wonder how stupid those people feel right now...

 

TFY

 

yea I saw that on tv. what a sad situation

[hotpotato]

I know a few co's here...

 

They tell me that a cadre of local vagrants, when the weather gets nippy, will do a little shoplifting, get thrown in the county jail...3 hots and a cot...see their buddies, watch some tv...And the cycle repeats itself the following year...

 

That's 400k that could've been given to nonprofits. *rolleyes*

 

Also...I don't know if anyone had seen/heard this story...Evidently this homeless guy gave some woman 20 dollars for gas....The world went nuts:rolleyes::rolleyes:Like it was some great feat...I have helped many people when I was dead broke, including digging some people out of a snowbank, shoveling by hand for almost an hour....and got nothing for it.....what the hell is 20 bucks? ...Anyway....

 

One of these idiots started a GoFundMe account for this guy that netted 400K !!...

 

Well...looks like all the money's gone...Poof...

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/09/04/homeless-man-money-gofundme-spent/1192888002/

 

 

Wonder how stupid those people feel right now...

 

TFY

Well, people don't understand. Some homeless people have thousands saved up from not paying rent or car notes. Twenty bucks is chump change.

 

 

I never give money to homeless people. Never. I will donate to salvation army or another nonprofit. Giving them cash is fueling their addictions. The worst ones are army vets (I suspect some are fakes) who act like the govt isn't taking care of them. If they were grievously injured in battle (ex. Lost a leg), uncle sam is most likely helping them, AND they drank away their money.

Edited September 4, 2018 by hotpotato

[eleanorrigby]

It is precisely as cheap as I think it is. I have been homeless before. How about you?

 

Nope, I've never even had to couch surf. I've been fortunate.

But I see them all the time, and I have a husband that enjoys talking to strangers. He gets the ins and outs of how homeless life is, how their life works and tells me about it.

 

The more I read what you're saying, the more I am convinced you aren't even talking about homeless people.

 

No, being homeless isn't fun. I can tell you all about it from experience. Sleeping in a tent for weeks at a time, trying to sleep in a car in the summer heat, saving up money to stay in ratty motels that feel like luxury to you, I know all about it. I don't look down at my nose at anyone, I have been there and know what it's like. Just reporting what I have seen and lived.

 

I'm talking about both and all of them. Some homeless people prefer that life. If they do, fine by me. I don't want to make homelessness illegal. It would cost us more money.

 

Like TFY's anecdote with the vagrants committing petty crime to get a hot and cot during the cold months.

We would be better served in society to build more shelters and staff them.

It would cost us less than it does to have people going through our penal system just to get out of the rain and snow.

 

We could use more free toilets for those people who have not slid completely down the ladder and are not willing to crap in your alley.

Those people are probably spending their precious little money to use an actual toilet , still trying to get a regular shower as often as possible, still trying to stay as close to "respectable society" before they become one of the people you talk about and are practically unable to re-enter it. Their daily living is much more expensive compared to yours and mine is because we don't live life completely a la carte.

Edited September 5, 2018 by eleanorrigby