Anonymous wrote:My husband keeps buying them groceries, but I’m injured and can’t drive. I need to recover so I can do the errands again, asap.

Your husband is a great guy.

Anonymous wrote:I always make sure to have some $1 bills so that I can just hand one out every time I see a person begging. Of course I could always tell myself a number of stories about the sins of another person but they would all just be stories in my own mind. Who are we to judge?

Exactly. They aren’t all alcoholics.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I buy a banana, a bottle of water, and a candy bar in the grocery store and hand them the bag as I exit. It cost me less than $3 most of the time.

Oohhh. Be careful with that. I’ve seen those thrown back at the giver along with a heavy dose of curses. I stopped doing that after seeing this happen to someone else.

Ive given food plenty of times but I’ve asked what they want when entering a store.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the beggars I see — especially at times intersection medians, store parking slots, etc. — seem to be part of a larger network. I can no longer count on my fingers the times I see “mom” and kids, or “vet” picked up by some well-healed person in a Mercedes Benz or luxury sedan. It’s ugly.

I have seen an uptick in adult drug use at our local parks. Last week they burned a starter log in the local baseball dugout. There’s a group also camping out at the local McD’s which seems fine with it. What I don’t understand is the permissiveness given that these users and dealers are acting openly on property directly adjacent to schools.

THIS!

Can someone explain this? I'm more used to city homelessness -- 100% of the people in the various tent cities seem to have mental/drug issues; pretty sure they couldn't apply for affordable housing nor hold down the housing if they were to get it. But in the suburbs, it does more seem like these families/moms w/ kids. But then at the end of the day they're picked up by someone. Who is that someone? Do they live with that person or work for them? What is that person getting - a cut of what they collect? But that has to be nothing bc who even stops to give them anything? I understand trafficking where owners of massage parlors/nail salons etc. bring people over and then "own" them bc they get the labor of having the people work in their businesses as they "pay off" their visas/airfare (at least this was the big thing in NYC when I lived there.). But I'm not sure what the economic bargain is here to have a family begging outside of Chick Fil A in Fairfax?

When there comes here, here becomes there

I used to see this often in Georgetown. Not just a suburban thing.

Ive given food many times and haven’t once seen this happen.

sorry. I meant to respond to another post.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the beggars I see — especially at times intersection medians, store parking slots, etc. — seem to be part of a larger network. I can no longer count on my fingers the times I see “mom” and kids, or “vet” picked up by some well-healed person in a Mercedes Benz or luxury sedan. It’s ugly.

I have seen an uptick in adult drug use at our local parks. Last week they burned a starter log in the local baseball dugout. There’s a group also camping out at the local McD’s which seems fine with it. What I don’t understand is the permissiveness given that these users and dealers are acting openly on property directly adjacent to schools.

THIS!

Can someone explain this? I'm more used to city homelessness -- 100% of the people in the various tent cities seem to have mental/drug issues; pretty sure they couldn't apply for affordable housing nor hold down the housing if they were to get it. But in the suburbs, it does more seem like these families/moms w/ kids. But then at the end of the day they're picked up by someone. Who is that someone? Do they live with that person or work for them? What is that person getting - a cut of what they collect? But that has to be nothing bc who even stops to give them anything? I understand trafficking where owners of massage parlors/nail salons etc. bring people over and then "own" them bc they get the labor of having the people work in their businesses as they "pay off" their visas/airfare (at least this was the big thing in NYC when I lived there.). But I'm not sure what the economic bargain is here to have a family begging outside of Chick Fil A in Fairfax?

When there comes here, here becomes there

I used to see this often in Georgetown. Not just a suburban thing.

Ive given food many times and haven’t once seen this happen.

Anonymous wrote:Why can’t the police just take them somewhere else where they will fit in more? I don’t feel safe seeing them in our areas.

Wow, why can’t police take you and put you somewhere. When was the last time you’ve heard of a homeless person attacking someone. If it ever happens, it’s extremely rare. The lack of empathy in this area is astounding. They aren’t all under the same umbrella of addiction or scammers, just like we don’t all have the same story either.
Have you ever had a conversation with someone on the street? They don’t all need alcohol.
Once they fall off their feet, it’s not as simple as, ‘get a job’. They can’t walk off the street and start working. They need housing, a wardrobe, access to money before 1st paycheck, etc. The Dc bubble sucks sometimes.

Considering there was a whole Sherlock Holmes story centering on a journalist who gets sucked into panhandling after discovering how lucrative it is, I think it’s safe to say this is not a new problem.

Yes, we live off of 66 and have seen them at EVERY exit in our area.

Anonymous wrote:Why can’t the police just take them somewhere else where they will fit in more? I don’t feel safe seeing them in our areas.

We don’t want them in DC either if that’s what you mean. Do your fair share with helping the homeless!

Anonymous wrote:I buy a banana, a bottle of water, and a candy bar in the grocery store and hand them the bag as I exit. It cost me less than $3 most of the time.

Oohhh. Be careful with that. I’ve seen those thrown back at the giver along with a heavy dose of curses. I stopped doing that after seeing this happen to someone else.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the beggars I see — especially at times intersection medians, store parking slots, etc. — seem to be part of a larger network. I can no longer count on my fingers the times I see “mom” and kids, or “vet” picked up by some well-healed person in a Mercedes Benz or luxury sedan. It’s ugly.

I have seen an uptick in adult drug use at our local parks. Last week they burned a starter log in the local baseball dugout. There’s a group also camping out at the local McD’s which seems fine with it. What I don’t understand is the permissiveness given that these users and dealers are acting openly on property directly adjacent to schools.

THIS!

Can someone explain this? I'm more used to city homelessness -- 100% of the people in the various tent cities seem to have mental/drug issues; pretty sure they couldn't apply for affordable housing nor hold down the housing if they were to get it. But in the suburbs, it does more seem like these families/moms w/ kids. But then at the end of the day they're picked up by someone. Who is that someone? Do they live with that person or work for them? What is that person getting - a cut of what they collect? But that has to be nothing bc who even stops to give them anything? I understand trafficking where owners of massage parlors/nail salons etc. bring people over and then "own" them bc they get the labor of having the people work in their businesses as they "pay off" their visas/airfare (at least this was the big thing in NYC when I lived there.). But I'm not sure what the economic bargain is here to have a family begging outside of Chick Fil A in Fairfax?

When there comes here, here becomes there

I used to see this often in Georgetown. Not just a suburban thing.

Anonymous wrote:Why can’t the police just take them somewhere else where they will fit in more? I don’t feel safe seeing them in our areas.

*snort*

And where exactly do you think they'd "fit in better", princess?

Anonymous wrote:You should all be ashamed of yourself! Obviously these people are poor and probably hungry and in need of food. Why wouldn’t you help? Something is very wrong that in our inequitable capitalistic society there are so many poor people who need help and so many cold snobby rich people who think they are better than anyone else.

I’ll take this!

I’ve served on a charity board for over a decade and have been an outreach worker for far longer.

I’ve personally handed out my charity’s business card to beggars who’ve approached me locally and explained that I’m more than happy to help get them into our program-all they need to do is leave me a message on our confidential line and I will personally coordinate immediate delivery of basics AND can get them enrolled in our programs. Really: meet me and I can provide immediate help in the form of food, clothing and emergency funds. Need a few hours but can help with housing and transportation.

Not at all surprising to me or my colleagues: I’ve NEVER had one roadside/store/parking lot beggar EVER take me up on my offer. No, my clients are what I call the savvy and smart working poor - not homeless but are one paycheck away from a crisis.

These beggars are scammers! And yes, there’s a coordinated church begging circuit here in my small region that thankfully was addressed and thwarted because front office church staffers caught on and we began to compare notes and stories! All churches within a five mile radius decided to give out gas cards only (like $5) and then started to ask for ID and would call each other.

Yes, they want cash money only. They aren’t homeless.

Anonymous wrote:I always make sure to have some $1 bills so that I can just hand one out every time I see a person begging. Of course I could always tell myself a number of stories about the sins of another person but they would all just be stories in my own mind. Who are we to judge?

Ha! I used to do this, no harm, no foul right? Wrong! My kindness led to a homeless village on the playground on my block and the bonus is the RV that anchors the lovely little town. Each and everyone of these people are capable of working, hell I have a mental disease and I f g work! The end result is the cops won't do anything, the politicians won't do anything and our children no longer go to the park because it is a very dangerous place with needs and such strewn all about the playground. And still, people like you, drive by and leave your little boxes of bagged lunches which they eat and then throw the litter all over our neighborhood. Again, each and every one of these inivididuals are perfectly capable of taking advantage of the city services (which my tax dollars fund) but why bother? They are a large encampment with fire pits and a swimming pool (yes, a swimming pool), I swear it's almost so funny you have to laugh. I have sold my home, you can come clean up the neighborhood, I am sick of cleaning up after grown ass adults who have even taken to using the gutters as their toilets. It's a wonder I was able to sell my home.

Anonymous wrote:Why can’t the police just take them somewhere else where they will fit in more? I don’t feel safe seeing them in our areas.

+1! I also worry about their own safety in a very automobile-dependent area.