Reply to Beggars - how do you handle?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I never give to beggars in the US, give me a break!!! Last time I offered to get someone food, I came out of 7/11 and they were on the cell phone. If you want to see real poverty, go to India. I gave money to people living in cardboard boxes, where they were actually poor and not living on the street for fun. I will never give Americans a penny!! Homeless here have so many options and are too lazy to get a job or find resources. [/quote]

Many are mentally ill.  But hey...if it helps you feel better about yourself, keep believing that. [/quote]

That’s not my problem and there are resources for mentally ill people. If they can stand on a corner for 8 hours they can go get a J.O.B[/quote]

This. An able-bodied man or woman with the ability to panhandle all day long can clearly handle a physically-taxing job. [/quote]

The issue is not that mentally ill people can’t lift a box or push a broom. The issue is whether they can operate in the social space of a workplace. Imagine a fast food worker who does not bathe or change their clothing for months. Or the store clerk who spontaneously begins arguing with imaginary enemies. People are fired for being mentally ill long before they become homeless. [/quote]

Well, a lot of them can't do manual labor 8 hours a day either.  Most of them aren't standing 8 hours a day -- they are maybe standing an hour or two, during the commute rush hour, and are sitting or lying down the rest of it.  And the ones I see aren't even standing very well -- they are barely upright.  Last week I gave a couple dollars to a guy in a wheelchair -- he dropped his cup of money on the sidewalk and it all spilled out and he was trying to reach it from his wheelchair with his fingers so stiff they could barely hold the cup.  Everyone was ignoring him so I picked up all the money for him and then gave him a couple more bucks.  Most of them have physical disabilities in addition to mental illness.  But I don't typically give money directly to panhandlers either -- I give a bunch of money to the food bank and then to a couple different shelters.  I don't blame anyone that gives directly to panhandlers, but I also don't blame anyone that prefers to give to organizations that can help people in a more systemic manner.
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