Begging For Money.....

[Smowball]

Just curious as to your opinions. When I was younger I was out wth my mum & a schoolgirl came up to her and asked for 50p. My mum said why and the girl said she needed to make an urgent phonecall. So my mum gave it to her. I said afterwards what if she was having you on? And my mum said well if she was then I've only lost 50p and if she was genuine then I've helped her. It's always stuck with me.

I'm a soft touch and if someone begging/ homeless looks genuine I've been known to go into local shop and buy them a sandwich/ drink/ scarf/ gloves.(from the pound shop)

So earlier today I was at my local shops when there was a young guy standing in the rain. He looked cold, wet, and tired. He definitely wasn't drunk or drugged Up. He was asking people really politely for £1. Just £1. Everybody was ignoring him and I walked past but I just couldn't ignore him. He was about my sons age. So I walked past and got £2 out of my purse and put it in my pocket. Then I walked back and just handed it to him and he thanked me profusely and went straight into the cafe behind him and went to the counter. I've no idea what he got and am assuming he'd already had a few pence on him already but well there you go.......

Call me a wally but that's just me...... am I the only softy??

[TWR]

Oh, Ok then, don't tell Murray for gods sake. lol lol

[Ric.ror]

I've just seen a man in Leeds begging with two huge beautiful akitas! Now if you can afford not one but two of them you don't need my money!
Ps - a couple of months ago a man was given an asbo to stop him begging in Leeds city centre - he lived in a three bedroom semi !!!

[gness]

I won't, TWR.....but that woman finds out everything!!!.......x

Ric....it's so difficult.....I've just experienced something similar in Portugal.......someone asking for money and I refused......instinct I guess.....and what I saw later tells me I was right.....but, having been in my situation years ago....it's so hard to make a judgement..... :-(

[ummmm]

I'd give cash...I don't care what they spend it on.

[mallyh]

ummmm you give cash .......
my son would just buy drugs before food etc .

[Jackdaw33]

What's an Akita when it's at home?

[Cloverjo]

A woman came up to me and asked for a pound for her bus fare home. You can't get very far on a bus for a pound, so she could easily have walked it.
I had a pound coin in my pocket so gave it to her. I don't know what she really spent it on. If I hadn't had it in my pocket, I don't think I would have stopped and got my purse out of my bag. She was slightly scary looking.

[ummmm]

Mally...yes. I've known alcoholics and drug addicts and I've witnessed the withdrawals. They need medical help to withdraw

[mallyh]

when my son lived rough (we threw him out a few times when things got tough)I would rather people gave him a sandwich or drink instead of money .

[pastafreak]

^^^ yes...and if they are seriously addicted,they will need a steady top up or possibly die or suffer seizures, hallucinations,etc. A tiny bit to satisfy a need is better than none at all.

[pastafreak]

My yes was to ummmms answer.

[mallyh]

a drug addict won't die from NOT taking drugs different for an alchoholic x

[ummmm]

The withdrawals are awful though.

[mallyh]

yes ummmm they are but I know from experience that they get through them .please don't give addicts money xx

[CrapAtCryptics]

In this day and age there should be no need, in this country, for begging. There are so many agencies to offer help and for those who want it there are jobs.

[ummmm]

I don't purposely, Mally.

The man I give money to doesn't appear to be on any substances. He sits in a door way at the back of the co-op and the staff sit with him when they have their ciggie breaks. He's really polite. I think he may live in one of those houses where you have to leave in the morning and can't return until the evening.

My best mate got hooked on heroine...so sad...I had to tell him he wasn't allowed round my house anymore because the kids were asking questions and I didn't want drugs to be normal. He understood but it was upsetting :-( x

[pastafreak]

It depends on why the person is begging and what they want money for. There are those who are truly in need but many are caught in the benefits limbo. They have nothing and may have weeks or months with no funds.
And there are the ones who have plenty of cash...but it's spent immediately on drugs. They go begging for more and more. They come to us for free food...which they will get up to a point.

[Smowball]

I still think that if anybody genuine is begging at all then they're in a pretty bad place.

[ummmm]

Yeah....smow....I agree. Begging must be humiliating.