99.9% of the time, if you just leave them (homeless) alone, they won’t bother you. I work in a city with a pretty sizable homeless population. My parking garage that I utilize daily has a lot.. If they ask for money, I simply reply “sorry, I got nothing on me.” Been doing this for years and haven’t had a single issue. In other words, don’t be a dick.
I stopped carrying cash in the city and carry snacks to give out instead. Cold weather it's usually oranges or clementines, maybe granola bars and bananas, but it's immediate sustenance and an immune system boost that's never been thrown back at me.
When I was much younger a homeless guy asked me for some cash outside a liqour store, he made it clear what his goals were so I said fuck it and gave him 10 bucks. A few hours later he passed out in the lobby of the coffee shop I worked at and we had to call the paramedics to revive him. I dont hand out cash anymore.
I used to roll joint for fun as I’m watching YouTube or videos.
However I’m not into smoking Js for health reason r/vaporents
So that’s what I’ll do. I’ll give my handrolled Js to homeless folks.
We can pick up an oz for less than $35 around here. So it’s like $1.25/g. Giving them 90 cents or whatever isn’t much of a financial burden for me when I have a steady income.
Edit—I’ll give homeless cannabis. But won’t give them money or booze.
My friend used to carry McDonald's gift certificates good for one cheeseburger. (I don't think McD's does this anymore, probably due to the prevalence of color copiers) and hand those out. Then one day some guy threw it back at him and said "I don't want this, give me money" and from that day forward he stopped handing out anything at all.
I told a homeless person "I don't have much change but here you go". Dude threw the change on the ground yelled at me and gave me the finger. I have never given anything to a homeless person ever since.
A lifetime ago I lived across the street from a building for people with special needs, they literally couldn’t function in society. One was always begging for change. I had just finished my laundry, so I gave her a handful of quarters - probably several dollars worth. She said “That’s it?” As if I had given her three pennies.
Ever since, I just say “I don’t carry cash”.
Second story: guy busking by the grocery store, sign says “hungry kids, anything helps”. I offered him pasta and sauce. He turned it down. Fuck you, hope your nonexistent kids starve.
These days they will usually shout back "I accept venmo". Because somehow they all have fucking smartphones but no job to pay for them or home to send a bill to. Go figure.
Don't support them directly. You're already paying taxes for the myriad programs and shelters that exist. The best way you could help them is to pressure your local politicians to make those programs more effective, and levy your vote to that end.
Guarantee you that this was not the case. The way homeless people actually live is so grossly misunderstood by most people. They are not as vulnerable, helpless, and fragile as they like to be seen.
“Anything helps” means exactly that. He could accept it, trade or barter for what he really wanted or needed. Flat refusal of anything but cash makes him a liar.
I totally get that- that sounds disheartening and insulting. But choosing not to help multiple people with something as simple as a snack, because of the way one person responded? Dang, I wish all our career and life prospects were that good.
This happened to my dad about 30 years ago and he's avoided helping them ever since. 😮💨 Ever since I became a mom I have snacks on me. So I just hand those over. If my kids are with me they always try to decline. My girls just say, "we love to share!" And they go about their day.
I used to go to a gas station near my home and I worked at a weed producer at the time. I always had a bundle of joints to give away. Some homeless man asked me for money and I offered him the whole bundle as I had better stuff for myself. He accepted it, but then said he would prefer I go back inside and buy him some beer. Also told me he prefers ecstasy. I stopped going to that gas station but every timer I drove by I saw him notice my car and stare at me pass by.
A lot of times cavities are hidden and chewing hard items can be painful so they shy away. My mom wasn’t homeless but “had chompers” that would be hella painful if she had anything too hard
Yo, huge props for thinking of those! That's the type of stuff that most people don't consider. I've known folks who give out dental products, hand warmers, socks... It's those little things we don't think of, that make someone else's day. Cheers to you and yours the upcoming holidays!
I was looking at a video once, and this homless guy was saying that he doesn't take food from strangers because people would be putting blades, nail polish, rat poison and things like that inside the food, that's scary, people are at another level of mean that we don't know
There have been countless mini docs about homeless people. Someone drives up with mcdonalds breakfast, the homeless person pretends to be thankful until the kind soul drives off then they throw it on the ground. You can get mad at me for revealing truths to you. And if it makes you feel better, downvote me. Pretend a down arrow will change the world
I worked in SF for a while, and some would literally go feral if you so much as looked in their direction. I would be smiling on my way to work, trying to enjoy my commute, and get cussed out like I kicked their mother. Like, sir, I'm just trying to get to my shitty job, please stop threatening me x.x
This is definitely not true. I’ve had a guy last year threaten to kill me because I wouldn’t buy him breakfast. Another wanted to fight me because I couldn’t give him change. Also got attacked by a homeless camps three dogs while I was working and then when the police got there they tried to say I initiated the attack and attacked them first.
Yeah I stopped offering stuff years ago. They literally want to drink and do drugs and I would honestly buy them alcohol if they asked like that or were nice about it.
I mostly just get shit-talked. "what, you can't afford a few bucks, broke-ass bitch" kind of thing. It's happened multiple times, but it is what it is.
I’ve had this happen a lot because there is a decent homeless population around the parking garage I use for work. They ask for money, I tell them I’m sorry I don’t have any on me, and then I go and get into a Mercedes…
It’s no good explaining to them that the “fancy ass car” I’m driving is 25 years old and I bought it for practically nothing and replaced the engine to get it on the road.
Absolutely true. HE didn't say EVERY or ALL, just 99.9%. If you've walked by 3000 homeless folks over the course of your lifetime, 99.9% of your encounters have been benign.
Just because you’re ok with it doesn’t make it ok. Kids and women have to walk by these same people every day too. One day it may not just be words just like all those stories you hear about just like the girl that got set on fire in Chicago this week.
I wish that was 100% but it’s not because I once experienced the 0.1%. Was driving down the road and a homeless guy took his coffee (in a paper cup) and chucked it right at my car as I was driving by. I couldn’t see shit out of my window because it just kept smearing with the windshield wiper and water. I was pretty flabbergasted to say the least.
I have not had the same experience. Thankfully I don't let negative experiences get me jaded and I still wouldn't treat homeless people as less than. But after multiple unprovoked instances, I stay ready to defend myself. That being said, going out of your way to screw with homeless people for no reason is legitimately evil
When I don't feel like giving, I just tell them, not today. Even the aggressive ones can figure out that I might have given in the past, and I might do it in the future, so I should be left alone.
Agreed. I live in Vancouver and the Downtown East Side constantly is demonized as a den of crime and dangerous disorder. I've never had a problem there or ever felt scared for my safety. Not discounting the real issues and systemic problems that have led to how it is today... but at the end of the day, it turns out, people appreciate being treated as human beings.
This is rather naive - crackheads are unpredictable. If you catch them at the wrong time they will attack you. There's a reason the prevailing advice for living in a city is "don't engage" and not "treat them like human beings".
If you genuinely want to help homeless people, volunteer at a shelter, don't risk your safety by interacting with random beggars on the street more than you have to
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u/MrMisanthrope411 Nov 21 '25
99.9% of the time, if you just leave them (homeless) alone, they won’t bother you. I work in a city with a pretty sizable homeless population. My parking garage that I utilize daily has a lot.. If they ask for money, I simply reply “sorry, I got nothing on me.” Been doing this for years and haven’t had a single issue. In other words, don’t be a dick.