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  #41  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 10:10 PM
austlar1 austlar1 is offline
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Mostly I ignore, but sometimes I am moved to give money. There is one poor soul with two large dogs living in some woods near my home. I see him from time to time, and I am impressed that he's managed to provide reasonable care to these big dogs for over two years now. The dogs are his constant companions. He may have a drug problem, but when I talk to him, I get the impression he is a very timid and sweet guy who has some chronic mental health issues. I always have five or ten bucks for him, usually once or twice a month. I have also given him dog sweaters during very cold weather. I will also sometimes give money to especially down and out looking older folks when I see them flying a sign at a busy traffic island. I don't care how they use the money, but it is clear to me that they can use it for something to make their life a bit more bearable.

Last edited by austlar1; Oct 17, 2019 at 10:59 PM.
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  #42  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 1:34 AM
CaliNative CaliNative is offline
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Originally Posted by LA21st View Post
I used to do it more 5-6 years ago. Even when I politely say no, sometimes the panhandlers they lose their shit and start hurling insults. This is after, they "politely" ask for money.

I completely ignore anyone who barges into a coffee shop or restaurant and does this though. Those people are gigantic assholes, sorry. Same with the people who wait outside of ATM machines. Are they expecting people to give them a 20?

"Sorry, no cash", is the best way to go. Although, once in a blue moon, a pandhandler will respond with "lets go to a ATM". That is crazy.
When there are vagrants hanging out around ATMs I always drive away. NEVER go to a lonely ATM, especially at night. Instead go into a store and buy a soda and get cash back when you slide your card.
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  #43  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 2:35 AM
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Originally Posted by CaliNative View Post
When there are vagrants hanging out around ATMs I always drive away. NEVER go to a lonely ATM, especially at night. Instead go into a store and buy a soda and get cash back when you slide your card.
The only time I've ever been mugged was at an ATM, at night, in San Francisco.
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  #44  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 3:13 AM
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Originally Posted by 10023 View Post
Ignore them.
this. or say oh no thank you and that confuses them....keep on walking.....cities that are successful will attract vagrants. that cycle never ends....
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  #45  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 3:34 AM
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There's a lot of them lately in NY (especially around Penn Station which has increased tremendously in the last year) and I keep walking. Pretend you didn't hear anything.

Its not like I haven't given money in the past, but depends on how I feel that day. Most I've ever given was $20, but I was in an unusually elated mood that day.

I usually don't carry cash, just credit or debit cards, so there's that too.

Problem with certain places is that due to how many of these folks there are, if one was to help everyone, you wouldn't have any cash after the humanitarian trip.
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  #46  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 3:34 AM
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I try to help when I can. A panhandler has to show some sign of really needing help, like being in a wheelchair or wearing clothes that have not been washed in months. Someone disabled or clearly has been sleeping outside for a long time deserves some type of help. A panhandler cannot show signs of vices, like having cigarettes or a bottle of whiskey or look like they do drugs. I will not let my money go towards their vices or addictions.

Nowadays, to be nice and to keep them honest, I give gift cards for chain restaurants. They would be to places like Subway, Wendy's or McDonald's: places that are relatively close by no matter where you are. The dollar amount is on the card, and I take it right out of the plastic case (I generally get the 3-packs at BJ's) so they know they are getting the full amount, but someone trying to resell it for drugs will have a hard time getting the full amount listed on the gift card, so they basically have to use it on food.
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  #47  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 4:25 AM
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Giving to a good organization will always be more effective.
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  #48  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 12:27 PM
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If I have food you're welcome to it. If you have a cat, as one old homeless woman in Paris did, I'll give you money. Otherwise, fuck off.

I will say though, that ignoring someone doesn't always work. I was once chased down the street here by a man who got extremely upset that I didn't want to hear him, or pay him to, recite a poem. I finally had to duck into the lobby of a theater to get away from him.
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  #49  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 1:49 PM
Investing In Chicago Investing In Chicago is offline
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I rarely get hassled due to the fact I have a natural pissed off look most of the time, and I'm admittedly pretty intimidating looking guy.
I almost never give money to the person just sitting on the sidewalk holding a sign, but if someone approaches me 1:1 and asks me i'll typically give a few dollars - if i'm carrying cash, which is rare these days.
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  #50  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 1:54 PM
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You can also usually tell who actually is looking for some specific help by calling out whatever their story is.

I've bought food for someone outside a subway who was actually asking for food and not money.

Twice now though I've encountered someone outside the Train/Bus station who had a sob story about needing to get a ticket home to some place and when I actually offered to buy them a ticket their mood changed real quick.
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Last edited by suburbanite; Oct 18, 2019 at 3:19 PM.
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  #51  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 3:13 PM
Kenmore Kenmore is offline
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give them money
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  #52  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 4:01 PM
Investing In Chicago Investing In Chicago is offline
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Originally Posted by Kenmore View Post
give them money
so if you pass 20 panhandlers a day, you give each of them money?
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  #53  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 4:55 PM
montréaliste montréaliste is offline
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Panhandlers sitting on a sidewalk in Montreal in mid January are the salt of the earth, literally.
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  #54  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 6:11 PM
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Originally Posted by pj3000 View Post
I don’t give money to twitchy or barely-conscious addicts, nor to young able-bodied dudes who hang out all day in traffic at intersections or on bridges around here. Nor to basic street hustlers who always got some line of bullshit story for you.

I always give money to someone who I think might need it. Maybe they’ll use it to buy a sandwich or maybe they’ll use it to go buy a beer or a bottle of cheap ass wine. I don’t care either way. If they need a drink to help get them through whatever nasty twist of fate has brought them to where they are, then they need a drink. I don’t feel that it’s my place to judge them. I’m lucky to have my brain, my limbs, family and friends, and the means to give a few bucks to someone who’s somehow been reduced to begging his/her fellow humans for money on the street.

That's basically how I see it as well. If I've got a few bucks and I like the guy, I'll just give 'em some change. Not my business how they use it. Hell, there've been times where I had a case of beer and just offered someone a beer instead - lord knows they could use it. Some of you are acting like these are zoo animals or something.

As an aside, is it just my impression or does homelessness in cities across the US seem to have gotten a lot worse in recent years? On my last trips to New York, Boston, and DC in the early 2010s there didn't seem to be much of a homeless problem at the time; but from what I've heard from friends DC is pretty bad right now, while I've seen a number of articles about the growing problem in Manhattan. And based on a recent trip to Chicago it seemed to have a huge homeless population throughout the city. To say nothing of the West Coast...
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  #55  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 6:35 PM
Investing In Chicago Investing In Chicago is offline
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Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin View Post
That's basically how I see it as well. If I've got a few bucks and I like the guy, I'll just give 'em some change. Not my business how they use it. Hell, there've been times where I had a case of beer and just offered someone a beer instead - lord knows they could use it. Some of you are acting like these are zoo animals or something.

As an aside, is it just my impression or does homelessness in cities across the US seem to have gotten a lot worse in recent years? On my last trips to New York, Boston, and DC in the early 2010s there didn't seem to be much of a homeless problem at the time; but from what I've heard from friends DC is pretty bad right now, while I've seen a number of articles about the growing problem in Manhattan. And based on a recent trip to Chicago it seemed to have a huge homeless population throughout the city. To say nothing of the West Coast...
As far as Chicago, saying the city has a HUGE homeless problem is a bit of an exaggeration. Are there homeless people? Yes, but it is on par with other large eastern/midwest cities. Feels less "homeless-ey" than NYC, and probably on par with Boston/Philly/DC.

Now, LA, SF, and Portland have huge homeless problems in my opinion.
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  #56  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 7:00 PM
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Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin View Post
That's basically how I see it as well. If I've got a few bucks and I like the guy, I'll just give 'em some change. Not my business how they use it. Hell, there've been times where I had a case of beer and just offered someone a beer instead - lord knows they could use it. Some of you are acting like these are zoo animals or something.

As an aside, is it just my impression or does homelessness in cities across the US seem to have gotten a lot worse in recent years? On my last trips to New York, Boston, and DC in the early 2010s there didn't seem to be much of a homeless problem at the time; but from what I've heard from friends DC is pretty bad right now, while I've seen a number of articles about the growing problem in Manhattan. And based on a recent trip to Chicago it seemed to have a huge homeless population throughout the city. To say nothing of the West Coast...
None of those cities compare to the utter degradation that is happening to our west coast cities. Just wait till the ACLU starts suing the northeast cities and youll get a taste of what were going through
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  #57  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 7:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Investing In Chicago View Post
so if you pass 20 panhandlers a day, you give each of them money?
sure, but i'm a good and decent man. ymmv
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  #58  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 7:10 PM
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Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin View Post
As an aside, is it just my impression or does homelessness in cities across the US seem to have gotten a lot worse in recent years? And based on a recent trip to Chicago it seemed to have a huge homeless population throughout the city.
i would not say that chicago's homelessness situation seems noticeably better/worse than 10 or 20 or 30 years ago.

these things might ebb and flow a little bit over time around here, but we are "blessed" with a pretty fucking cold winter season that seems to keep the homelessness situation from getting completely out of hand like you see out west in LA/SF/portland/seattle/etc. it's really hard to be a year-rounder around here.
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  #59  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 7:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Investing In Chicago View Post
As far as Chicago, saying the city has a HUGE homeless problem is a bit of an exaggeration. Are there homeless people? Yes, but it is on par with other large eastern/midwest cities. Feels less "homeless-ey" than NYC, and probably on par with Boston/Philly/DC.

Maybe other Eastern & Midwestern cities in 2019 are on par or worse than Chicago, but just sayin', Chicago 2019 had by far the most noticeably bad homeless problem that I've ever seen anywhere other than the North American West Coast (ie. worse than ~2012 New York, DC, Boston, etc).
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  #60  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 7:21 PM
Investing In Chicago Investing In Chicago is offline
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Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin View Post
Maybe other Eastern & Midwestern cities in 2019 are on par or worse than Chicago, but just sayin', Chicago 2019 had by far the most noticeably bad homeless problem that I've ever seen anywhere other than the North American West Coast (ie. worse than ~2012 New York, DC, Boston, etc).
Very interesting observation, my experience has been completely different.
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