Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To those who "don't judge" what someone does with the money you give them, it's not about judging. It's about the fact that your "gift" to an addict is not helping. Not at all. They don't need a bottle to get through the day because they have a hard life. They just need. a. bottle. Giving it to them does not make their life better. It doesn't feed a child who needs it. Or give them shelter. An addict's brain will make sure that the FIRST thing it gets is its drug. Please stop telling yourself you're doing something for them. You're only doing it to feel good about yourself.

Not all of them are addicts though.

Anonymous wrote:To those who "don't judge" what someone does with the money you give them, it's not about judging. It's about the fact that your "gift" to an addict is not helping. Not at all. They don't need a bottle to get through the day because they have a hard life. They just need. a. bottle. Giving it to them does not make their life better. It doesn't feed a child who needs it. Or give them shelter. An addict's brain will make sure that the FIRST thing it gets is its drug. Please stop telling yourself you're doing something for them. You're only doing it to feel good about yourself.

Not all of them are addicts though.

I give out coupons/cards for free food at Burger King, mcDonalds, etc and the phone numbers for social services

No. I have seen these fools standing on corners in shopping centers where EVERY STORE has a for hire sign on the door or window. If you are too lazy to fill out an app at California Tortilla or Wegmans or DSW that's your problem. You practically have to try to be unemployed here.

Never

Social worker here- I never give money to those people. I have known too many of them and how they manipulate people with fake stories. The people with mental illnesses are usually to sick/paranoid of people due to their psychiatric symptoms to be holding signs and engaging with the general public.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes.

It depends on the mood I'm in and the vibe I get from the person. Two cases:

When I lived in Durham, NC, I used to see a guy standing out on the median holding a cardboard sign everyday. One day he got on my bus, pulled a dollar from a huge wad of cash and paid his fare. When he got to his stop, he pulled out his Duke Hospital employee badge and put the lanyard around his neck and went to work.

We had a huge thunderstorm about a month ago and I saw a family huddled under tarps by the overpass near the light between 66 and the Watergate. The next day, I saw a teenage girl from that family standing with a sign by that light. I gave her all the cash I had on me.

Cripes, haven't you people ever heard of gypsies??

I am not being snarky all.... but what do you mean? I guess I really don't know what gypsies are. Do gypsies just beg for money? Is there more to this? I seriously am curious.

They go out as families. They drug the little kids. They drive their luxury cars there but park them far away, get indignant and sometimes abusive if you offer anything other than cash, and are overall a boil on the skin of society. They're criminals but NoVa bleeding hearts keep them around here, sadly, by feeling sorry for them and giving them money.

Are you from the US or elsewhere?

I'm American. I've spent time living in Europe. Why should it matter?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes.

It depends on the mood I'm in and the vibe I get from the person. Two cases:

When I lived in Durham, NC, I used to see a guy standing out on the median holding a cardboard sign everyday. One day he got on my bus, pulled a dollar from a huge wad of cash and paid his fare. When he got to his stop, he pulled out his Duke Hospital employee badge and put the lanyard around his neck and went to work.

We had a huge thunderstorm about a month ago and I saw a family huddled under tarps by the overpass near the light between 66 and the Watergate. The next day, I saw a teenage girl from that family standing with a sign by that light. I gave her all the cash I had on me.

Cripes, haven't you people ever heard of gypsies??

I am not being snarky all.... but what do you mean? I guess I really don't know what gypsies are. Do gypsies just beg for money? Is there more to this? I seriously am curious.

They go out as families. They drug the little kids. They drive their luxury cars there but park them far away, get indignant and sometimes abusive if you offer anything other than cash, and are overall a boil on the skin of society. They're criminals but NoVa bleeding hearts keep them around here, sadly, by feeling sorry for them and giving them money.

Are you from the US or elsewhere?

To those who "don't judge" what someone does with the money you give them, it's not about judging. It's about the fact that your "gift" to an addict is not helping. Not at all. They don't need a bottle to get through the day because they have a hard life. They just need. a. bottle. Giving it to them does not make their life better. It doesn't feed a child who needs it. Or give them shelter. An addict's brain will make sure that the FIRST thing it gets is its drug. Please stop telling yourself you're doing something for them. You're only doing it to feel good about yourself.

Yes, it's better to be a fool ten times than to pass by a single person to whom my gift may have made a difference.

No, but I do give to and volunteer for organizations to help them. The only thing I will give them personally is food.

Anonymous wrote:sometimes if it's a veteran.

I will write that on a sign and go stand by your house, Don't believe for one minute they are. they are fooling you.

I worked at a place once, the owner didn't like going to the bank to get change and small bills so he would work a deal with these people.

75 cents on the dollar and he would take all the change and singles they wanted to trade in. I got to talking with a bunch of them seeing I worked the late afternoon evening shift and they would open up. some drive pretty nice cars, some woudl come on on their "day off" dressed just like us, some would have several signs, sayign they are veterens, or jsut laid off from a factory, of wife is at shelter and due any day....

remember back in the day the guy in the wheel chair in georgetown infront of the bank? He could walk and walk well. Parked his car in an alley and would pull up there, put his chair on the lift he had on the back, get in his car and drive off.

they lie, they use you and I have no repsect for any of them,.

Occasionally, if it's someone I see often and they're always nice and polite to passersby. There are a ton of homeless/panhandlers in my daily commute (from North Arlington near Glebe/Lee to Gallery Place via Ballston) so I've had to kind of harden myself to it so I wouldn't give away all of my money.

I prefer to donate to food banks and soup kitchens, so I know that the money is going toward food.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes.

It depends on the mood I'm in and the vibe I get from the person. Two cases:

When I lived in Durham, NC, I used to see a guy standing out on the median holding a cardboard sign everyday. One day he got on my bus, pulled a dollar from a huge wad of cash and paid his fare. When he got to his stop, he pulled out his Duke Hospital employee badge and put the lanyard around his neck and went to work.

We had a huge thunderstorm about a month ago and I saw a family huddled under tarps by the overpass near the light between 66 and the Watergate. The next day, I saw a teenage girl from that family standing with a sign by that light. I gave her all the cash I had on me.

Cripes, haven't you people ever heard of gypsies??

I am not being snarky all.... but what do you mean? I guess I really don't know what gypsies are. Do gypsies just beg for money? Is there more to this? I seriously am curious.

They go out as families. They drug the little kids. They drive their luxury cars there but park them far away, get indignant and sometimes abusive if you offer anything other than cash, and are overall a boil on the skin of society. They're criminals but NoVa bleeding hearts keep them around here, sadly, by feeling sorry for them and giving them money.