I’ve actually skipped work just to help a homeless guy get his beard trimmed. Bought him pizza too. Kinda hard to get anywhere in life when you look like shit.
Be kind to the homeless, they just need a helping hand here and there.
What would you do?
I don’t hold any answers but if you’re reading this comment, I want to know how you take into consideration that if they are asking for money, that money can easily be used for drugs/opioids/other stuff which will hurt them.
i.e., Do you give them money or do you give them food, a bottle of water or stuff like that?
Just don’t judge what they use money for. It’s not your place to police someone’s habits. Addiction is very hard.
A couple years ago some guy at the gas station gave me this long ass spiel about how he wasn’t on drugs (like the whole time it took to fill my tank up he was going on about it) and then asked me for gas money. I was like buddy here’s $20 but if you’re spending this on drugs get some for me too.
Sandwich, bottle of water, directions off the property.
You mean directions towards the nearest shelters? It’s easy to tell someone to go away, but does it hurt you to try to help them locate proper shelter, instead of just tell them to go away?
I got kids, I’ll get you a sandwich and water while you wait outside but I don’t know them just like I don’t know any other stranger that showed up unannounced, that I would also not let in. If it was just me I have a higher risk tolerance, it’s going to be pretty close to zero when I have others who are dependent on me under my care. Sorry, not sorry.
Let’s say we’re in Arizona right now, hypothetical…
Let’s say it’s 120⁰F outside. You gonna leave the fella outside, only to die on your porch of heat stroke?
Don’t know where you’re at, but where I am, I have no legal obligation to help anyone trespassing on my property. That said, I would call the cops, so they can help him. While they may not be great at this, it’s their job (not mine), and I’m not risking my life. Maybe he’s honest in his needs. Maybe he’s not, and his intentions are nefarious. Do you know? I don’t, and I’m not willing to risk my life finding out.
A person knocking on your door and asking for help shouldn’t be outright considered as a trespasser, especially if all they’re asking is help. Of course you can’t trust just anyone, but still, if someone showed up and knocked on my door, sweating their ass off in the scorching heat of the summer and asking for help, I ain’t about to leave them out in the heat…
That’s fine. If your risk posture allows you to do that, then great. Mine doesn’t. I will give them as much water as they need, food if they need, even a change of clothes and a coolrag. They can chill in my yard under the shade of whatever trees they want. They can use my hose to cool off, wash, whatever. But, they’re not coming in my home. [and they need to leave before that evening’s up].
E: correct autocorrect
E2: this is a coolrag
E3 in []
No I mean gtfo and deal with your own shit.
Hey, I ain’t mad, at least you said you’d help with the bare basics of a little food and water.
But what if it’s 120⁰F outside? What if they’re about to suffer a heat stroke on your porch?
Are you seriously asking if I react differently in different situations?
What if you were the person suffering in the heat? Should I open my door for you? Because if I could tell you were genuinely in need of help, I would…
Homeless or rich it doesn’t matter I just don’t trust people anymore. With that said though I will happily help guide them to resources and donate to shelters fairly often. I have some bad history with strangers so even though I’ve tried working through it there doesn’t seem to be much change.
You doing what you did is awesome and I bet really helped that guy with more than just a shave.
My brother was homeless from addiction.
I’d give food and water; if they wanted to wash up I have a hose and would bring them soap and shampoo. Unfortunately, I’ve been burned with shit disappearing from when my brother was addicted, so I probably wouldn’t let them in the house.
I don’t even like opening the door to people I know.
Depends if I know them. There’s been a permanent camp around the corner from my house the last five years. My wife and I know a lot of the long-term residents and have helped them do laundry, charge phones, and file taxes. But a stranger? I’d direct them towards other local resources.
File taxes? I admit I’m fairly ignorant of the plights of and unhoused person … And any complex tax situation, TBH … but it seems like most of them would be under the income threshold that would require filing of taxes.
Homeless does not necessarily mean jobless. You still have to file taxes if you want a tax return. It’s a lot cheaper to live out of a car and have a PO box than it is to get an apartment.
Fair enough, I hadn’t considered homelessness by choice.
I know homeless people can and sometimes do have jobs, but assumed their income would be insufficient to require interacting with the IRS. Thank you for expanding my perception.
You remember a few years back when stimulus cheques were being sent out? They were only being sent to those who filed taxes.
Gotcha, thank you.
Food? OK
Water? OK
The rest? No.
Yeah. I don’t like people in my place.
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Had a dude come around in my neighborhood a few times. It was the middle of the summer and it can get above 100 where I live. Gave him pbj and some water because if was all I had at the time. He only asked for food and water. Haven’t seen him in a year now though.
My mind initially skipped the p in pbj and it altered the story significantly
I hope the fella is doing okay these days. Thank you on his/her behalf for helping them in a brief time of need. Even if that’s all you could do, at least it’s something.
People like you help me restore a few points in faith in humanity. 👍
A beard trim… yeah, I’m too unexperienced to help him with that, but I’ll give him a shaver and a cream…
Bath… I’d just hope there’s a public shower nearby, and lend him merely some small bottles of soap and shampoo…
A sandwich and water… let’s see what food I have…
I’m not opening my door tho, to him
Several years ago, my mom started making care for folks out on the street. Some water, a bag of chips, a piece of candy. Little things like that. I started doing the same thing. It’s good to help those down on their luck in small ways. Even to to look at them and say “no, I’m sorry” when they ask for money, rather than to just ignore them. You are acknowledging them as a person. If we wish to make a better society, actions speak louder than words.
I also prefer the term ‘de-housed’ to ‘homeless’. I feel the latter places blame on them rather than the former which places blame on the society which has failed them.
I remember a skit by the late George Carlin where he suggested that instead of calling them homeless, that we should call them houseless instead, so yeah I get what you mean there.
Plow the golf courses and cemeteries! Give these folks a place to live!
Ah, I see you’re a fan of the late George Carlin as well… 👍
This is the first time I’m hearing plow cemeteries, and I’m not sure I’m on board with that. People usually spend time there to deal with grief and losing a little bit more of a dead loved one would be incredibly painful for a lot of folks
Fuck golf courses though
It’s a joke from George Carlin. I wouldn’t advocate for plowing old ones (although dead stuff makes fertile soil). Personally, I wouldn’t make new ones, but perhaps a middle ground is to make mausoleums wbere people can be burried vertically.
I think homeless is more fitting. at least to me, it’s a more emotional/painful word, which is a good thing. being homeless sounds a lot shittier than being dehoused to me.
That’s an interesting point, provided it motivates people to do something about it, rather than assigning a moral failing to the individual. I.e. they deserve it for their sins. In my mind, dehoused elucidates the lack of a basic human need: shelter. There is a solution, especially in the face of the greed of rent seeking.
I’d close the door on him then call the police. Y’all can virtue signal all you want but these homeless people can have mental illnesses and be dangerous.
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The police can be mental and dangerous themselves, what’s ya point?
Yeah, this one is over the top.
My late father would employ homeless people to rebuild wrecked motor homes. And amazingly enough, this tactic tended to work fairly well.
They weren’t allowed inside our house, except certain hours of the day in the evening. They were even welcome to drink some beer with us and shoot the shit during the later evening hours, just as long as they kept up work on the wrecked motorhome, which is where they slept.
I think they lived there while repairing it for like 6 months, and they were generally honest and legit. Never once stole a thing, they were just glad to have a place to stay during that time.
I’m not in danger. And sometimes cities like mine have special homeless units that aren’t cops.
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We bring food sometimes to the local homeless guy but he doesn’t seem to want anything else.
This answer for me would really depend on a lot of factors. I don’t want a homeless roommate who won’t leave and can’t work, don’t want a mentally unstable person in the house with my daughters. So random guy probably not. I’d bring him food and a gallon of iced water and say I could not let him in. If it was the guy we know from under the bridge, and husband home, probably would let him shower and give him some of husband’s clothes to wear, sure.
But we HAVE had homeless people stay with us for a time if we knew them, quite a few times. Wandering guys who just didn’t live anywhere. Couch surfing people.
I’ve been ‘homeless’ after my father passed away 10 years ago, after paying 6 years of his land taxes. I’ve lost roughly 95% of everything I’ve ever owned, after paying 6 years of land taxes and bills.
I’ve been through some shit, so I have a kind heart towards others suffering the struggle…
I have lived on the streets too. I just don’t feel like I can possibly help everyone, if that makes sense. And would question the motive of someone I don’t know trying to get into my house.
It’s a very complicated problem. Some people are homeless from simple poverty and can climb out with some help, but we know these guys (it was always guys) who just don’t fit into society and can’t have a regular job or hustle enough to have stuff, but can get by without much, there doesn’t seem to be room in this country (USA) for them anymore. Like they have been illegal -ized.
You seem to have “but what if” responses for every answer.
My answer is no because I don’t trust them. Same reason I keep my little dog away from all pit bulls, I don’t trust them. Same reason I accept some women want to keep distance with all men, lack of trust.
There’s water in the bubbler at my local park.
Yes, of course I intended on my post to be interpreted hypothetically. Every situation is different, and every person is different.
I am skeptical on letting my friends in my house. I am not going let a random person with high odds of having some sort of physical/mental issue in my house no thank you.
Will I help? Absolutely. Just in anywhere that isn’t my house.
