Beggars

[TheFaQQer]

if you want to give, buy them a butty and a brew. dont give cash.

I gave some food to some begging children in Bulgaria once.

They were quite pissed off with me, though, for not giving cash.

Ungrateful buggers.

[SizeZero]

I only ever buy the big issue to assist. At least I feel they have "worked" for it and are trying to make progress in life.

I believe a very high percentage of homeless men lost everything in their divorce.....

I wouldn't doubt it Brillo. They say there's only 3 pay cheques between your home and the streets - and it's only going to get worse now. A lot of these people are also the people turned out of institutions when it was fashionable to pretend everyone with mental problems just needed a chance to live in society.

One of the TV networks did a programme on homelessness a couple of years ago. There was a guy who said the reason they drink alcohol is not because they are alcoholics, but because it helps them to get to sleep on bitter cold nights (even though they know alcohol itself lowers body temperature).

£2 means nothing to us, everything to them. There's a guy near us who 'works' Ikea carpark - he offers help to arrange those boxes into your car boot when you can't manage alone - he's a godsend (and very experienced!): well worth the tip

[Purple Dalek]

I believe a very high percentage of homeless men lost everything in their divorce.....

And the rest are ex-services.

Only the aggressive ones are druggies IMHO.

[ace00]

if you want to give, buy them a butty and a special brew. dont give cash.

[minestrone]

Nearly All the beggars I see are junkies and they seem to have been kicked off the Big Issue patches which have been taken over by the romanians who are all given a free house by Glasgow city council.

[Jog On]

I have a monthly standing order that pays £5 to shelter

[NotAllThere]

Nice line. Unscriptural though... why do I have to get a donkey though, they're pretty expensive and hard to cater for in the city centre?

I think EO left a bit out. What he should have written was:

It's a bit like Christians.
If you REALLY believed what I think you believe, you would either top yourself so you could meet him asap
or you would sell your car and buy a donkey and give everything else away.

You can usually tell the professional beggars. I've offered to buy food occassionally to people who seemed in genuine need. They accepted gratefully. It gives you the opportunity to talk to them a bit, and you find out that, by and large, they're just normal people who made a few mistakes.

Though one guy I know was approached by a tramp, who asked him for "50p for a cup of tea". "You don't want tea, he says, you want booze don't you - here's a fiver".

[cailin maith]

There is a fella in Manchester who asks for 11p - WTF - 11p???

Every night pretty much, he is there outside the bars on Deansgate... looking for 11p.

[chef]

I give each month to 3 charities via Direct Debit and I buy the big issue from the same guy who stands outside the local takeaway.

There's also a guy who I pass every other month or so who is almost always wasted sitting outside the local tesco express who I refuse to give money to as you know its going on crack or something similar, instead I ask what sandwich he wants on the way in and do a mini shop:

sandwich of his choice
10 cigs or a handful out of the gf's pack (she should quit anyway)
lighter
bottle of OJ or pint milk
sometimes a beer or 2 if that's what im there for

passed him just before xmas and felt so bad for the guy as it was bitter cold outside, the then gf never finishes her curry and leaves half in the tray/box so i reheated it, add some rice and naan and got an old camping fork and went back to give it to him, the guy was over the moon.. i figure if you know they are truly on the streets and not just students looking for extra cash (happened in sheffield) then why not help out? one day it could be me on the streets and i'd like to think i wouldnt get ignored by everyone..

[chef]

There is a fella in Manchester who asks for 11p - WTF - 11p???

Every night pretty much, he is there outside the bars on Deansgate... looking for 11p.

is he the one who needs just 11p to afford the train ticket back to blackpool? if so, i've seen him loads of times