what do you guys generally do

sometimes i'll offer to buy them food as opposed to just handing them the $

I gave the guy a couple bucks today and I tried to talk to him. He was friendly but not real into the convo, I really wanted to say "make sure you spend it on the food" (he told me he was gonna) but I didn't. As he walked back into the parking lot towards the nexts person his eyes looked distant. I wondered what he really intended the money for but am not like super hung up on it I just hope for the best. I wonder if that is weak of me to even consider that general stereo type of homeless people.

when I really did not have any money I did not give it, but before that I sometimes did. Without further 'demands' or questions. Once, one man was really happy he finally got something from someone. He'd been neglected or treated badly the whole day and I was the first 'normal' one, he said. And it seemed to be true. I also once spoke to a homeless man while waiting on the tram. He did not ask for money or expect it, we just talked about how it was almost Christmas. When I stepped into my tram, he said a very meant 'God bless you' (In Dutch). That's not so common here, and I felt like I'd just met an angel in disguice .
All people are somebodies child.

groetjes,
Mirella

unfortuntely, i have found out thru my work that most people who panhandle are addicts. while i used to give some change to just about anyone who did not actively look intoxicated, i now do not ever give. it is really not helping at all.

example: i work near north station in boston. about once a week there is someone there asking for some change for the train, always with some sob story. one day i walked past a girl who looked frail and ill, needed $3 to get to Wellesley. I almost gave in, but did not. I felt guilty until I saw her a week later, asking for cash with the same story.

I always give them money. And I always feel bad about it because I think that I'm perpetuating their habit. I guess that I do it because it makes me feel like a nice person. I often have food with me, granola bars or dried fruit. I've offered it to them, but that's not the kind of food that they usually want. Once a guy took my granola bar along with my money, and I saw him throwing it away a few minutes later.

In some places there might be a whole phalanx of homeless people asking for money. For some reason I usually feel more sorry for women, and tend to give to them more than men.

I usually just try not to make eye contact and pretend I didn't hear them. If I can't do that, I generally lie and say I don't have any change. Only on very rare occassions do I actually give money to homeless people, because (a) there's so many of them and (b) I'd rather help out people who are trying to work for it.

i sing evenflow in my head

i actually did buy one homeless man groceries one time. i told him i would spend up to $20, and we went into the market across the street and he got bread, cheese, fruits, nuts, etc.

if i'm going to give the homeless anything, that's what i'll give. i hardly ever give money. only every once in awhile, and never more than a few bucks.

i will say, though, that not giving makes me feel like a guilty piece of shit. but what is a guy to do? i can't go around being the financial supporter for the city's homeless. i need to live, too.

I live and work in the same area of Buffalo (Elmwood/Delaware Ave for those who know the city) where there are quite a few panhandlers. I'm always pretty torn about what to do because I consider myself to be a generous person, but I hate being hassled while I'm on my way to work, out shopping, eating, drinking etc.... I also don't like the fact that my soon to be wife sometimes feels intimidated by beggars. My solution is to give food or some change to people who I know well by sight and am fairly certain will spend it on at least a little bit of food
and
donate money to the fishes and loaves food pantry up the street ( It's become very sad to see how long the line has grown recently ) and tell everyone who asks for food money about this same food pantry. Some of them say thanks and some tell me to shut the f* up.

Majority of the time I just ignore them. Once in a while I'll say "nope, sorry". Last time I did that I came walking out of the store afterwards with a case of Chimay. It was pretty awesome.

I just give them whatever spare change I have. If they want to spend it on drugs or booze, so what? That's what I'd probably spend it on anyway.

There are some "homeless" fellows around my neck of the woods that will stand in the middle lanes of the boulevard with a bucket, asking for change. I've heard a few stories of some of these hard up gents saving up all the money that moron passerbys give them, and they eventually went on to buy 150,000 dollar homes. So basically they are richer than me now. All because they didn't shave for a few months, put on the shirt their kitty pissed on, and frowned a lot while holding a bucket that reads "VEITMAM WAR VET". I think I'm in the wrong profession.

Did they pay cash for these homes or did they have to take out loans?

Was it during the height of the subprime frenzy?

I beat the living shit out of them.

yeah! there's alot of dudes like that in seattle, who have their own corner that they stay at every day while the cars stop at the red light. that's why i will still only offer food. if they are really homeless, they will want the food, i figure. some take it, some don't.

If you give homeless guys money, 99 times from a hundred, you're enabling them their behaviour ie get drunk/get high. You're not doing them any favours.

I think that's the best way to handle it. All around downtown Cleveland there are posters that read, "Don't give where it can't help." Usually posted in the areas where the panhandlers like to gather.

In college there was a rapping homeless guy hanging out just off campus. He always liked to shout "Help is on the way!" And apparently it was since he was spotted driving around in an Escalade.

Cash Money

I typcally don't. I live in Chicago and there are just so many, and so many who don't need it. i do give if they're missing a limb or are playing some good music.

The last time I did was for an old black lady in the rain. My ex decided not to give me a chance and it was pouring rain out, so I guess I was looking for a little good karma from women and gave her the last 3 bucks I had. She was more grateful than my ex was and that put a jilted smile on my face.