I am asking because I know people from both sides:

  • People who discourage it: usually talk about how the beggars might spend their money on, how they might be lying, How donating to them will encourage them to keep begging and how they should be looking for a job instead (My commentary: finding a job is impossible for them this days, matter of fact there is literally hundreds, if not thousands of articles online talking about how hard and impossible it had become).
  • People who encourage it: to be honest here, they usually talk only about religious reasons.

(Note: I know that the overview about both sides are highly unbalanced, but I preferred to keep it limited to my personal experiences rather than expanding it from myself, as I intentionally not looking for theories and objective logic, rather I am looking at people reasons and opinions as this is highly subjective matter.)

Anyone got any thoughts about this?

  • Fedegenerate@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    Take this for the uninformed opinion it is.

    But, does panhandling ever lead to someone getting off the street? I thought of panhandling as pure survival resources.

    I am unable to provide shelter, I could donate to one of the charities dedicated to temporary shelter to provide that. Arguably a better donation than panhandling, as those charities offer pathways off the street.

    Jobs, permanent shelter, etc aren’t achieved via panhandling, but through other means (local charities, what not).

    But, food/water/entertainment I can provide, like right now. So on my way into the fast food place/shop I’ll offer to grab something.

    • tehmics@lemmy.world
      1·
      2 months ago

      It only takes ~10 people a day offering $5 to pay for a cheap motel for the night. And yes, survival is the number one priority. A motel room provides a locked door, a shower, a bed, and peace of mind for a whole day.

      Shelters are chronically over-capacity and prioritize women and children. Ask yourself, what demographic do you typically see panhandling in your area? I know who they are near me, and those people deserve survival too.

      Also shelters often require things like drug/sobriety tests and restrictive curfews that would prevent homeless from holding down evening jobs, which are some of the most common types of jobs available in that situation.

      I don’t know where you live, but there is not a single place in my city where I can’t find water to drink, a cheap or free bite to eat, or even a dumpster full of edible, contained food, and of course, a steady stream of people thinking that their 1 of 5 meal offers in a day will somehow solve the ‘roof’ problem.

      I’m not telling you not to offer food. But if they are not hungry and you would have spent $5 on a burger, but not 1/10th of a motel, you are judging, not helping.

      I’m also not telling you not to donate to shelters. If we all did, things might be better systemically. Personally, I am highly in favor of a far greater tax contribution to housing people. But that struggling person on the street corner today won’t get the help they need from wishful thinking or even a spare $5 to the shelter. But they could have a bed to sleep in tonight instead of a piece of cardboard if you give to them directly today.