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Homeless guy


RamNut

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I can't help but feel sorry for the homeless guy living in a tent by the bridge on the approach to the ground.

i gave him a fiver as I'm sure he can spend it better than I can. 

i hate to see someone in that state. I don't know what the answer is, but it an awful situation to be in.

Hopefully a few more people might be tempted to show him some sympathy in the run up to xmas. 

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11 minutes ago, RamNut said:

I can't help but feel sorry for the homeless guy living in a tent by the bridge on the approach to the ground.

i gave him a fiver as I'm sure he can spend it better than I can. 

i hate to see someone in that state. I don't know what the answer is, but it an awful situation to be in.

Hopefully a few more people might be tempted to show him some sympathy in the run up to xmas. 

Not seen the guy you gave the fiver to but I did see a lot of homeless people sleeping on the streets when I was in London on Wednesday.

Now austerity is over I'm sure the government will be pumping millions into schemes to alleviate the suffering faced by the homeless

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When I see a homeless person, if I’m not rushing, I look around for a food or drink outlet to get a hot drink, burger or some type of food.

Its not much but it’s my way of knowing my money has given something tangible and not been spent on such as alcohol etc. Not trying to stereotype but I’ve seen it before, so without raising an argument as to why this happens, I just feel ive ensured it does more good.

Well done though Ramnut, it must be a very hard existence and any act of kindness can only help.

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6 hours ago, 1of4 said:

Not seen the guy you gave the fiver to but I did see a lot of homeless people sleeping on the streets when I was in London on Wednesday.

Now austerity is over I'm sure the government will be pumping millions into schemes to alleviate the suffering faced by the homeless

Supposed to be, was announced this year 30 million but i am too cynical in my old age and think a big % of that just ends up in someones back pocket as people look to profit from others misfortune.

I am sure cleverer people than me know the answer but relative prosperity may not be the only answer, there were significantly more homeless people back at the beginning of the century in what was considered quite prosperous times with a fairly healthy economy, But then I dont always trust stats, they can be fudged to make them look good or bad.

One person living on the streets is too many, im sure there is something that says 90% of us or something like that are only 2 months away from being homeless.

 

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39 minutes ago, Zag zig said:

it’s my way of knowing my money has given something tangible and not been spent on such as alcohol etc

In doing that you take away their agency and any shred of self respect they might have left.

Give them money. 

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2017/10/why-you-should-give-money-directly-and-unconditionally-homeless-people#amp

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1 hour ago, Lambchop said:

In doing that you take away their agency and any shred of self respect they might have left.

Give them money. 

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2017/10/why-you-should-give-money-directly-and-unconditionally-homeless-people#amp

Well, hmm, maybe....but then l could always walk by, so I’ll content myself I give some pour soul some warmth and food and not unduly trouble my conscience on the rights and wrongs of it, when society in general has failed them.

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It's a difficult question about giving them food or money that they will probably spend on drugs.

For a lot of homeless people, drugs and alcohol are the only escape they can find from the horrors of living on the street. Can you blame them? I think we should be less quick to judge, but ultimately it is right to think about the best ways to help them and not just throw money down to ease one's conscience

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Surely if giving food is wrong then charities such as Birmingham Outreach would just go round dishing out wads of cash instead of food and clothing?

 

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11 minutes ago, Lambchop said:

A very condescending article.  Who are they to judge how one individual chooses to help another? Im sure the author gave him or herself a pat on the back without being intelligent enough to realise that attitude is more likely to put people off helping others.

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On 04/11/2018 at 17:05, StivePesley said:

It's a difficult question about giving them food or money that they will probably spend on drugs.

For a lot of homeless people, drugs and alcohol are the only escape they can find from the horrors of living on the street. Can you blame them? I think we should be less quick to judge, but ultimately it is right to think about the best ways to help them and not just throw money down to ease one's conscience

I have someone very close to me that’s a mess with drink and drugs and I got my head around sending him a bit of money if I can afford it knowing it will be blown on drink and drugs it still gives him a bit of a lift and a better few days than most ,, call me crazy but that’s about the best I can do for him now 

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I think the point about giving money is to respect the person's autonomy. Taking that little bit of freedom away from them when they are in extremis could potentially cause more harm than another drink, or another hit, if that's what they choose to spend it on. 

Crushing lack of self respect  is not to be ignored as one of the barriers which makes it so difficult for people to seek help, or get back on their feet. 

Treating someone as an autonomous individual is better than treating them as someone who has lost the right to make their own decisions, even in cases of addiction. 

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4 minutes ago, Lambchop said:

I think the point about giving money is to respect the person's autonomy. Taking that little bit of freedom away from them when they are in extremis could potentially cause more harm than another drink, or another hit, if that's what they choose to spend it on. 

Crushing lack of self respect  is not to be ignored as one of the barriers which makes it so difficult for people to seek help, or get back on their feet. 

Treating someone as an autonomous individual is better than treating them as someone who has lost the right to make their own decisions, even in cases of addiction. 

Totaly disagree ,, the point about giving money ,or not come to that is about doing what you think is right 

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I'm pleased to see that this thread is back.

 i walked straight past this guy at first, and hardly gave him a glance as i was thinking about the match, but then after walking a few yards i realised that i had just walked straight past someone living in a tent on a grass verge by the side of the road. I was so shocked i turned around and went back. I didn't say anything but threw him a couple of quid i had in my pocket. i think one of the coins might even have disappeared into the grass. Afterwards i thought that this might have come across as condescending or insulting. But really, its 2018. Is this real?

The next match. He was still there. I wondered about whether to buy food, but then decided i would rather give him money for him to buy whatever he wanted. This time i passed him a £5 note. He said "are you sure". He was humble and it shocked me. here was someone with such low self-esteem that they had to check that it was really ok to accept a modest bit of help. 

When i thought about it, i realised how affluent and privileged we are. We have spare cash to blow on a match ticket at £20-30 quid. We post pictures of our luxurious food and holidays. We treat getting piissed as a self-indulgent bit of fun. we debate whether to have a 45inch or a 55inch television. And we walk straight past some poor sod living on a grass verge.

when the thread got deleted i thought it inadvertantly demonstrated a shocking lack of compassion. Are we really more bothered about the possibility of an internet spat than the fact that there is someone homeless and living on their arse on our very doorstep?

I know there are some people who might think that this is sentimental rubbish, and that its up to the individual to remedy their own situation. Maybe it is. I remember @sage saying that last christmas he was going to volunteer to help at a soup kitchen or whatever. Whether he did or he didn't doesn't matter. The fact is that there are people who need help, and here is someone we could help. Even if its just by saying hello, and by acknowledging him as a human being who is worth the time of day.

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54 minutes ago, Lambchop said:

Well yes, and I am explaining why I think it's right to give money to the homeless. 

Its opinion though surely.  Why do charities give food not money? 

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