There but by the grace of God go I! Ever feel guilty when you see those less for
4got2wipe
In a brilliant place!
This can be seen as "money can buy happiness part 2"! A few weeks ago I met up with a group of friends for drinks and had a civvie date with me. We ended up eating dinner nearby.
As my date and I were getting to my car we approached by a homeless person that appeared to be a trans guy. I'm not 100% sure but I'll use male pronouns. He told me he was homeless and hungry and did not seem drunk or high. We talked for a short while and I asked whether there was a shelter nearby he could use. Said he was going there but wanted some food first. I considered giving him my leftovers but worried that would come across as gross, so I gave him a $5. He was very grateful! :)
Then I thought about things. Between drinks and then dinner I probably spent $50 or so. That was nothing, just a night out! And here was a guy that genuinely seems grateful for $5. It made me feel guilty. He probably also needed more human contact and I felt I should have talked longer. I know that giving to charity is more effective than giving it individuals and I do that, but I still felt afterward I should have done more!
What would you have done?
As my date and I were getting to my car we approached by a homeless person that appeared to be a trans guy. I'm not 100% sure but I'll use male pronouns. He told me he was homeless and hungry and did not seem drunk or high. We talked for a short while and I asked whether there was a shelter nearby he could use. Said he was going there but wanted some food first. I considered giving him my leftovers but worried that would come across as gross, so I gave him a $5. He was very grateful! :)
Then I thought about things. Between drinks and then dinner I probably spent $50 or so. That was nothing, just a night out! And here was a guy that genuinely seems grateful for $5. It made me feel guilty. He probably also needed more human contact and I felt I should have talked longer. I know that giving to charity is more effective than giving it individuals and I do that, but I still felt afterward I should have done more!
What would you have done?
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28 comments
Not saying that is true in all case and I believe there is usually a mental problem involved.
When all the people who said that "we shouldn't confine people like this to institutions" it was an unholy alliance of mostly Republican conservatives and Democratic liberals. Now, the homeless are all around us. Add to that the number of families whose income has been eliminated by the economy and you have a perfect storm.
A lot of these folks appreciate it when you take a few minutes to talk to them. It acknowledges their person hood when somebody cares. There is a guy, Jamieson, who is outside my church every Sunday. He is clean, polite, willing to work, and interesting to talk to on a number of topics. He is also a guy who once in a while goes off on a bender and can't hold a job for long. He is also grateful that the church invites him in to our fellowship hour for a cup of coffee and some food, and lets him use the restroom. This also goes for several of his friends.
All this happens in Alexandria VA's Old Town area, one of the most prosperous and tony areas anywhere. Just makes a person sad. :-(
Loss of a job. A horrendous divorce. Financial ruin. No family, or family disowning you.
Definately can be a thin line between the people we see on the street. I was almost one of them.
But a lifelong friend took me in and helped me get back on my feet. I'm forever grateful.
So, yeah, I Definately am sympathetic to the less fortunate who have fallen on hard times.
I try to help out when I can and give back.
Etsutwigg222, I'll say this with absolute sincerity - brilliant idea! :)
I do give to the National Alliance to End Homelessness every year and it has good ratings through Charity Navigator.
The guilt part was for not taking a few minutes out of my day to chat and give him some human contact with somebody who thought he was a worthwhile person. Realistically, $5 means absolutely nothing to me. That's why I felt afterward that I blew him off.
I'm not sure if he was trans, but he was either a very effeminate man or a woman living as a man. I'm sure that makes life harder.
I'm sure mental health issues are common among the homeless too, and it makes me sad to see This happen to people.
One of the web sites you posted says you're a comedian. How is that going?
Shit boys i suffer from PTS and Bi polar issues
My comical career is going well on the personal having fun with it but on the paid side still very low scale like free to a few hundred if lucky lol
I've been known to walk with the guy to the nearest fast food place and pay for whatever he wants Then I know he's really after food, and not drug money. One time a guy ordered a small drink, and I said live a little, get the large, and he said, "Fuck no, man! Free refills!" He was appreciative enough to want to save me that 30 cents.
I was wondering if he was the so called pimp I read about in police reports of Platinum Plus that was closed. It said he was recruiting girls. Sounds like the juice crew.
The food bank gets a big cheque every year and lots of excess produce from my orchard and garden.
The women's shelter also gets a big cheque annually and I do some fund raising for the shelter among my well-beefed oil patch buddies. In addition, I try to have the shelter's residents out to my farm for a BBQ bash each summer. The ladies positively glow to have an old oilman prepare a spiffy meal for them and any kids love the freedom to run and play in my yard.
Usually just a cheque suffices for the special needs school though occasionally I have donated my labour to a school project. I sell my mechanical and welding skills real cheap to that school.
I have recently started supporting Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders). A retired doctor friend of mine is now donating his medical skills to that organization and he has browbeat me into making donations.
I don't give out money streetside. Not only because I don't feel like funding some homeless person's addictions, but also because it just further encourages panhandling.
I recently had two young adults, maybe in their late teens or early 20s, as for our leftover box of pizza as I was loading my family in the car after lunch. It was clear, by how they looked, that they were sleeping in the nearby park. I was surprised that they just asked for the food and not money, but I was happy to give them the leftover food. It also led my oldest daughter to ask a lot of questions about the homeless and charity, which spawned a very nice talk during the ride home about poverty and Christian charity.