National travesty...

[annaisdivine]

So did you take him up on his offer?

No, but there was this one time, at the food pantry , where I volunteered, when one of the clients offered to go to the bakery across the street to buy me a cup of coffee and a donut and deliver it to me. So I let him. Some might object to letting someone in poverty do that for someone who is obviously better off than them, but I figured that was just a little bit of dignity he had and I didn't want to deny him that opportunity. I guess it felt good for him to have something to offer - rather than just receiving handouts. So it became a habit for him. Every other Friday he would bring me a cup of coffee and a donut. Then, one day, he came in and told me he got a job at the bakery and didn't need the services from the food pantry anymore. But he still brought me coffee and a donut every other Friday.
So from now on, when a homeless person asks for money, just ask them to go get you a cup of coffee from the nearest Starbucks. You just never know.

 

[HH-60H]

So from now on, when a homeless person asks for money, just ask them to go get you a cup of coffee from the nearest Starbucks. You just never know.

This sounds like a Jack Handy quote.

 

[phrogpilot73]

I met Dad at work in DC one time for lunch, and as we were walking to the restaurant we saw a guy with a sign that said something like "Homeless and Hungry Vietnam Vet, Please Help." After lunch, Dad decided to do something so we stopped by McDonald's and bought a meal deal (don't remember which one, it's immaterial) and walked back by the guy. Dad handed him the bag and drink and said something to the effect of "I just wanted to help out a fellow Vietnam Vet." The guy sneered at us, and threw it in the trash can.

Because of that experience, I don't put much stock in the "statistics." Was he hungry? Maybe - but more likely hungry for booze. Was he a Vietnam Vet? We'll never know, but his credibility was destroyed at that moment.

Also because of that experience, I generally don't give money to homeless on the streets. I would prefer to give money to a legitmate organization that is trying to help. I did give a guy $5 one time though - because he was standing there with a sign that said "Homeless Alcoholic, I need a beer!", and told him that I admired his honesty.

 

[Herc_Dude]

Thats an eye opening story Phrog. Your dad does the RIGHT thing, and that fraud was shown for his true colors. Is there anyone who regularly gives money to those guys you see standing on the same corner everyday with the same sad story?

There are a few guys who work the same off-ramp/underpass here in Corpus. They take turns - one begs for money (typical 'hit hard times, homeless vet', oh and don't forget 'God Bless') while the other one gets shit-faced under the underpass. Anyone with half a brain who took a min to open their eyes could see exactly what is going on. However, they have had enough success to fund their booze habits consistently.

What is it? I really don't get it? Is it guilt? Do people really believe this bull? Does anyone believe this guy is saving the change you give him to buy a suit for his upcoming interview to get his new job then get his life back on track?

 

[JIMC5499]

In 1985 I took a picture of a panhandler holding a sign saying "Homeless Vet. Will Work for Food" at an intersection in Jacksonville. My girlfriend's father who worked for the Jacksonville Journal arranged for the paper to buy the picture from me. They published it on the front page about a week later. The reason that they wanted the picture was that in the background behind the panhandler you could count 9 Help Wanted signs. As it turned out the guy in the picture was neither homeless nor a Vet. One of the locat TV stations filmed him for a few hours and then followed him home. When he was confronted by the reporter he admitted that it was all a scam. He said that he made an average of $600 a day at the intersection. The guy wasn't an alcoholic or a druggie, he had been fired from a job at the shipyard and a friend joked to him that he should try panhandling, so he gave it a shot at the busiest intersection that he could think of and was suprised at the money he made. I can also remember a group in Jacksonville starting a program that would give a homeless person a job, training, an apartment, clothes and even a used car. They ended this program after a few months because not enough people signed up for it.

 

[phrogdriver]

Here's a link disputing the media's theme of veterans as losers.