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Homeless people

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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kat_B wrote:
    by the way, when i say i give coppers i don't just mean i give the old 2p now and again, it usually adds up to a couple of quid because for some reason i seem to have something against spending coppers in shops.. but then again, if everyone gave just 10p or whatever, instead of deciding not to because you don't know if they're really homeless or want them to spend the money on 'suitable' things, it would help.

    yeah, they might not really be homeless, yeah they might spend it on drugs but on the other hand they might really be homeless and they might spend it on 'suitable things.' you don't know that.

    if you were homeless you'd want people to give you the benefit of the doubt instead of walking past you with their noses stuck in the air.
    to me ...it doesn't matter if i parted with a couple of bob to a carear beggar.
    to stand out there freezing your nuts off ...trying it on ...fair enough.
    what have i lost?
    seriously ...if i can afford to throw a couple of bob away ...in my comfortable life ...if i have been had whats the big deal?

    the big deal should be that your heart is big enough ...and your intelect is big enough ...to actualy not be afraid of giving ...there and then on the spot.

    once you get rules about it ...when you legislate against giving ...advise against giving ...then where the hell does spontanious heartfelt feeling go ...digital?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    people think far too much nowadays if you ask me. it's all oh but what if this, what if that? fair enough but what if it's NOT? what if the person you walk past and don't give anything to really does needs your help? i don't see how anyone who walks past someone who's homeless without giving them something can't feel guilty about doing that. at least a slight niggling guilt at any rate.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kat_B wrote:
    people think far too much nowadays if you ask me. it's all oh but what if this, what if that? fair enough but what if it's NOT? what if the person you walk past and don't give anything to really does needs your help? i don't see how anyone who walks past someone who's homeless without giving them something can't feel guilty about doing that. at least a slight niggling guilt at any rate.
    exactly but not quite.
    to much thinking is wrong in my opinion.
    to much not feeling would be nearer the truth.
    to much being conditioned by a bullshit media that leads you to believe there can;t possibly be people in such dire straits in our wonderful world of plenty. or it must be their own fault.
    if J ...one of our loved but loony members of this very site can end up homeless ...whats the excuse for not throwing him a quid?

    it's fucking cold out there at the best of times.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yeah i think you're right... it probably is too much not feeling rather than too much thinking. either way, there are people out there who do have absolutely nothing, you just don't know who.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    In Edinburgh there are just so many people begging on the streets during the day, I have to say I never usually give them any money BUT it's a different story at night. When you see someone still sitting in a doorway late at night, when it's horrible, sub-zero temperatures outside and you're freezing your arse off and legging it into the nearest pub for warmth, then you really have to question whether the whole 'they do it by choice' and 'they all go home to nice warm beds at night really' mentality can seriously be true. I'm much, much more likely to give someone money then. I think there probably are people who go around scamming people during the day and then have somewhere to go at the end of it, but if you think someone would actually choose to be sitting outside in the middle of the night in the kind of temperatures we get up here, then you're just stupid.

    Regarding the 'I don't want your burger, I want your money' though - I find that kind of thing quite hard to swallow. My dad used to have lunch vouchers which he didn't use, and he'd offer them to people who were begging on the streets. They almost never wanted them.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The other day some boy, probably only a year or two younger than me, asked me for some money. I was like "wtf?" because I don't expect that from someone in my town. I just gave it too him because I felt like I was being pressurised, and didn't know what he was capable of. Although, it was in broad daylight on a busy high street.

    Its hard to really say if they really needed the money or not, i mean you get these like pickers or whatever u call them, that are at a intersection, usually all punky or grungy rock sorta looking, and then have signs like, my arm is broken, can u pay for my college intution!! like WTF lol. and they have these huge pitbulls with them too. like, if u can afford that, then your not the well off. Makes me mad though how still ppl feel bad and continue to give it to the ppl who dont need it rather then to the nearest shelter or what not. :yeees:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Last time I was stopped by a homeless person I got him a home. Asking for change when you need a roof is stupid.

    Wasn't difficult, really. I just walked up to everyone I saw and asked "can he stay at your house?" until I found someone. Took about four hours.

    People are such shitehouses.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    klintock wrote:
    Last time I was stopped by a homeless person I got him a home. Asking for change when you need a roof is stupid.

    Wasn't difficult, really. I just walked up to everyone I saw and asked "can he stay at your house?" until I found someone. Took about four hours.

    People are such shitehouses.

    Hold on klintock, homeless people don't want roofs. Thats the thing.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Completely shocked and amazed by al lot of people's reactions on here. I knew there was a lot of dodgy feeling about homelessness but I didn't realise it was quite that bad.

    I volunteer at a homeless shelter one or two nights a week, serving food and sitting down and chatting to the guests - we usually get about 120-150 people through per night and can give 20 of them a bed for the night. Sitting and chatting wih them has taught me a lot about the situations that the homeless are in, and about the shit they get from people with homes. Some come in drunk or high, some don't want to talk to anybody, and others come in for some warm food and a chat about the weather and politics and what's going on in the world. They're polite, they're funny, they're interesting, and they've got a view on life that you miss out on discovering if you run away from them just because they have no address. I learn more from these guys and women the first time I meet them than I learn from any other type of people.

    Firstly, tons of people don't realise that homeless people are people too. They've had homes in the past, lots of them have been to university, had families, goldfish, white picket fences. Some have really difficult home lives as kids/teenagers and got screwed over by the social services, others didn't have the support they needed and ran away without realising the possible consequences. Others got made redundant from jobs and got into debt, or split up with their wives, lost access to their kids and couldn't afford support payments. Most wouldn't dream of damaging someone's car or intimidating someone, and if they're rude, personally I think I can find it in MY heart to let it go. There are people who post on these boards having tough times and if they're rude to their families and friends we can understand why and we support them. If I was living on the streets or in hostels and I couldn't get a solid job I think I'd be pretty ratty and bitter too.

    Yes, a lot of 'homeless' do have roofs over their heads, and Big Issue sellers may have bedsit addresses, but these are often in hostels, which provide temporary accomodation. However, here there are often drunks, drug addicts and violent people who perpetuate the cycle. There's a guy called Paul who's a regular at the shelter where I work and he's trying to get clean. He says it's better to sleep rough than go into a lot of hostels because in there you're surrounded by drugs and trouble and staying clean is hard. Another woman was telling me how she broke a window and then went and stood in front of a security camera so she could spend a few nights in a warm prison cell, where she could have somewhere to wash and some privacy. And having a roof over your head for a few months hardly counts as security.

    And yes, many beggars are scammers, trying to get money for their next hit. There's usually a strong divide between those and genuine homeless people though; when I was in Edinburgh this summer I sat down for a chat with a guy who was out sleeping rough for the night and he explained how the druggies stick together and the genuine homeless stick together. May sound a bit West Side Story but ask a Big Issue seller in the area if you should give money to someone with a particular pitch and (s)he'll tell you if that person is a drug user or not. If you don't feel comfortable giving someone money, don't do it. And if you feel guilty for it, give to a charity like Shelter or Crisis, or buy the Big Issue.

    As for people who refuse offers for food, maybe they've already eaten!! Everyone assumes that if people are begging they must have a maximum of 30p at any one time. They save their money just the same as you! The more they can save, they more certain they are that they can eat for the next few meals. They don't have to be ravenously hungry and skinny to warrant a bit of spare cash!

    So many people these days don't recognise that homeless people belong to the same species and quite frankly I think it's disgusting. Victims of violence get sympathy and understanding, people who lose their jobs get sympathy and understanding, but as soon as they can't hang on and they lose their address, they suddenly become criminals who wany to chew your arm off for your precious 50p. Flipping hell.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    most of the homeless people in Brum tend to ask for money for a cup of tea...so i walk to macdonalds, buy a cup of tea and take it back to them if i have spare money myself.sometimes i'll get a cheeseburger or something too, i've never had anyone be ungrateful. i only do it when i have money myself though, which doesn't happen often as a student.

    when i worked at sainsbury's me and my mate used to buy all the 10p sandwiches at the end of the night and pass them on to the homeless people we passed on the way to the bus stop.

    i've only once given a homeless person money, and that was a £10 note i found on the floor by the cash machine - i didn't feel right keeping it when i was walking past someone who needed it more.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Exactly.
    I just dont understand how judgemental some of you are.
    I understand that some may need drugs, but as it would be my money, I would not feel very comfortable knowing that I would be helping them buy drugs with it. I'd rather have them have something warm and that to eat.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I tend to buy the big issue, normally if the seller catches my attention. If I've got change I'll normally give something, if not I'll say so and apologise, I never ignore people. Homeless or not.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i seldom give changes to them. because in my country most of them are just cheats...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My gran always buys the big issue, it fits in with her true blue tory attitude of people helping them selves, she'l buy one when ever she sees a seller if she's out in town oftern more than one a day.

    I occasionaly givewhen Im feeling generous, I knew a guy who became homeless totaly his fault had loads of opertunities to get him self sorted, fucked off every job he got, started using herion and any drug he could get his hands on, fucked off his bedsit
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Theres a tramp that hangs about in enfield town. He's been standing outside the bank every day for almost 6 years now. I've got to know him quite well and between me and my mates we found out that he lives in a hostle. His parents were loaded and when they died he inherited it all. He has enough money to live in a 5 bed house in the city, yet he still tramps about. I never give him money, but the last time he asked me he chased me through the town telling me to suck his cock. :yeees:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Having lived in the country pretty much all my life and rarely ventured out until the last year, things like homelessness have effectively been hidden away from me. It was quite a shock to the system when I went into London for the first time. Within minutes of going on the Underground network, I came across this man who was begging. I found it sad that, in a country with the 4th largest economy in the world, we still have thousands of people on the streets. It isn't right at all. :(
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Zella wrote:
    His parents were loaded and when they died he inherited it all. He has enough money to live in a 5 bed house in the city, yet he still tramps about.QUOTE]

    You sure he wasn't just pulling your leg?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't think the main issue with homelessness is individuals giving out cash on the streets. I think the main area of discussion should be comunity housing, subsidised by the goverment for people with a low income. We are supposed to have such schemes, but when you see the amount of homeless/ unstable housing/ sofa surfing people out there, we can see that it's not working.


    Giving someone a bit of cash doesn't really solve anything so I don't feel guilty that I never do this NEVER. In fact, I never give to any charity at all and feel no guilt.

    I was made homeless in the spring, I was evicted from my mother's house where I had been living for nearly two years to sve on bills while at uni. My mom's basically a psycho, so my daughter and I were evicted at about midnight, with chickenpox, no money and the threat of being arrested for 'breech of the peace' if I was seen in the area... I went and stayed at a friend's house for the night- giving her children chicken pox too. The next morning was offered emergency bed and breakfast accomodation by the council, which I gratefully accepted. Now, bed and breakfast accomodation is a roof over your head to be sure, but it's no solution let me tell you. For a start there's the food issue, grrrr. You can have a 'free' breakfast if you drink milk or eat fried food, if not you're buggered. Eating, storing or preparing food in your room is an evictable offense, along with allowing any people other than officials such as police onto the property. With no cooking, or clothes washing facilities, you can see how the problems and expenses of this housing solution mount up. Imagine now that you GPs surgery take you off their books as you don't have a 'proper' fixed address, and the receptionist tells you to "go away and think long and hard about it before you return with the card filled in with a fixed address".

    Ah, this is a long story but my point is, it's hard to get a job without an address, it's even harder to privately rent without a job, earning over a stupid ridiculous amount of money usually too. These issues only make it harder to get out of a homeless/unstable housing situation and nice as a burger may be, it ain't gonna fiix anything...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I usually give fags to tramps or a joint if i'm feeling especially generous.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I was in Taco Bell yesterday and this homeless guy walked in and just asked if he could sit in the corner for a while to warm up. I felt so bad. He started eating the sauce packets. I was walking up to buy him something but the man working had beat me to it and was brining him just a tray full of food.
    I've seen him before. In the summer he has a bike that he just rides around town on.
    I always feel so bad.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    im not opposed to giving money to homeless people but i admit i have been put off by a few people in the city, theres this one guy who sits right beside the cash machine and he's always drunk, he just shouts and swears at everyone to give him money and he's scary, why would u want to help someone like that? theres another girl who begs on the streets with a sign saying she's pregnant but she's been there every weekend for over 2 years, long pregnancy and she's never had a bump!
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    Sugar wrote:
    why would u want to help someone like that?

    Because they quite obviously need help.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    in all honesty, i'm so cynical about homeless people. i cannot ever imagine letting myself get into such a situation where i end up with no job and no where to live. having said that, i've been brought up to want to work and with a loving family around me who wouldn't let me get in such a dire situation. i can probably count on 1 hand the number of times i've given a beggar some loose change, and generally it would've been if they had a dog 'cause i'd feel sorry for the poor thing. also you tend to hear stories of homeless people not really being homeless so it makes me a bit wary. and also i tend to think well why aren't they out looking for a job? yes, you need a house of some kind to get a job but you have to start somewhere and sitting on the streets isn't going to get you anywhere very fast.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Skive wrote:
    Because they quite obviously need help.

    ok point taken, but i dont think im in the minority of ppl when i say i dont want to help someone who shouts swears and intimidates ppl into giving him money, id rather give my hard earned money to a charity that helps dying children or people with cancer.

    do homeless people really have no other option? are they not entitled to benefits and accommodation of some kind from the government? i admit my ignorance, dont know much about homelessness.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    in all honesty, i'm so cynical about homeless people. i cannot ever imagine letting myself get into such a situation where i end up with no job and no where to live.

    do you really have that lacking an imagination?

    and also i tend to think well why aren't they out looking for a job? yes, you need a house of some kind to get a job but you have to start somewhere





    surely even you of little imagination can see the catch 22 here?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    tell you what, read the rest of my post and then come back to me on that one.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    tell you what, read the rest of my post and then come back to me on that one.

    I did read it, that's why I responded. I actually found what you wrote ignorant and offensive but didn't want to single your post out because it seems to be a widespread ignorance. Please everybody, being homeless is literally being without a home, it is not a state that is defined by whether you 'sit on the streets'.



    If you need help imagining a situation like that- homeless, think of a big massive f.off water surge, and a city built below water level... imagine being thrown out of your loving family home and the council taking the position of 'no responsibility'... imagine, well, need I go on?

    Anyway, although I have picked on your post I'm not making a personal dig at you. My gripe is that the underlying notion is that people who are homless/lovelss/jobless or all three have brought it upon themselves. And even when it's accepted that that's not always the case, there's the notion that we can have the capability and opportunity to help ourselves out of such a situation.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    even if they haven't brought it on themselves they can still get off their backside and actually seek to better their lives, can't they. for example a big issue seller..it's better than nothing!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Most homeless people don't actually want to get better, some are afraid to get better, their life on the streets is all they have so I think it's better to help them out for the necessities like food and drink than walk on. Especially if we can afford to throw a quid here or there.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    turlough wrote:
    Most homeless people don't actually want to get better,

    oh please, what is this? Are you purposly trying to antagonise me? Are you trying to suggest that homelessness is an illness? If not, 'get better' is not the right phrase here. And surely you're not trying to say that most homeless people would rather be homeless than have safe secure housing? If so, whatever could make you think that?
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