Do you give to panhandlers?

[CO-guy]

I shudder to think someone was forcing that old lady to go out and beg. The things people will do for money sicken me. We’re so advanced technologically, but care very little for each other, seemingly. Not all, but most.

I appreciate these facts. And I do not blindly give. But I feel it is an imperative that I am willing to risk being wrong about (within the constraints I described above) as long as my motivation and attitude to do so are right.

I also talk to and try to understand their situations.

You do you. I'm merely pointing out that if you care about people living on the streets then donate generously to those organizations. You can look up the financials of most of these non-profit organizations online. Handing money to people on the street because they look desperate is the definition of giving blindly. Worse, there's a good chance you're supporting human trafficking.

As many folks, myself included, that are involved with this population have already said, we don't ever give money. Not a little. Not a lot. Not if they look like they really need it. Never. It's helping nobody.

 

[erkevin]

Absolutely Not! When I am out driving around and see my wife standing out there with her little cardboard sign, I drive right past...........

 

[big-papa]

You know the feeling, the light turns red and you are the closest car to the panhandler, Ugh. But I now do something different. I fill about a dozen sandwich bags with snack food, candy bars, socks, spare change and some small cash, water bottle, toothpaste, etc. I then write a small note that has something inspirational (god loves u etc). I keep them in a box in my back seat and hand them out when approached. My kids learned this and do the same.

I had a former boss who would keep a stack of a certain fast-foot restaurant's gift-certificates in his car and would hand them out at intersections.

Cheers

 

[Willers]

One I've given to was a guy who used to sit on our pedestrian mall. He didn't have any fake messages or tearjerker stories. His sign said simply "Let's not fool each other. I going to use the money to buy beer."

I respected the honesty.

 

[Montecfo]

You do you. I'm merely pointing out that if you care about people living on the streets then donate generously to those organizations. You can look up the financials of most of these non-profit organizations online. Handing money to people on the street because they look desperate is the definition of giving blindly. Worse, there's a good chance you're supporting human trafficking.

As many folks, myself included, that are involved with this population have already said, we don't ever give money. Not a little. Not a lot. Not if they look like they really need it. Never. It's helping nobody

Don't you think this is a little much, Co-guy? Chiding people-repeatedly-about charity?

I give to organizations benefitting the homeless AND aimed at preventing and rescuing people who have been trafficked. One of us has worked for years for an organization which does exactly that. So I have learned something about it. But you really have the be discerning there. Some of these organizations, however high minded in pitch, are not helping the situation.

The two approaches are not mutually exclusive and one is not always better than the other as you suggest.

 

[FREE866]

Good thread. I live in NYC so there are plenty of panhandlers. I used to give cash, but now I just offer to buy them pizza, a sandwich, or a smoothie. Most are extremely appreciative so I'll walk in with them to whatever store is within a block and pay for their order.

Honestly, I do it as much for me as for them. I'm retired so I have the time to take to walk into the store, and have plenty of money so its a total win-win. Frankly, it makes my day and is just another reason why being retired and financially set is a complete gift!

 

[Markola]

OP here. I appreciate all of these perspectives and am learning a lot from others’ examples. I’d say there’s a 95% response from this sample that giving cash is counterproductive. Some thoughts, thinking things through for myself:

1. Charities. Virtually all of our giving is to conservation/environment. We’re hearing from environmental groups that major local foundations that used to support the environment have largely shifted their giving to “social justice.” I could cover the reasons why, but it gets instantly political. Bottom line is, the environment probably needs us more right now.

2. I like the ideas of giving panhandlers things besides money. Some items that I recall from this thread are cans of food, small care packages, bus cards, lists of homeless resources. I might get a case of tuna and plastic forks for the car and see if they are accepted.

 

[FIYes]

Yesterday evening DH and I went downtown. We were approached twice as we were walking from our parking place. It motivates me to not go downtown alone.

 

[Route246]

No. Never.

 

[CO-guy]

Don't you think this is a little much, Co-guy? Chiding people-repeatedly-about charity?

I give to organizations benefitting the homeless AND aimed at preventing and rescuing people who have been trafficked. One of us has worked for years for an organization which does exactly that. So I have learned something about it. But you really have the be discerning there. Some of these organizations, however high minded in pitch, are not helping the situation.

The two approaches are not mutually exclusive and one is not always better than the other as you suggest.

Sorry you feel that way. I thought, "You do you," made it clear I wasn't chiding. Simply laying out facts for folks to do with as they please, and I'm really appreciative of this thread. I also agree that people have to be discerning with charitable giving, which is more easily done online than when someone is pulling at heartstrings on the street. In terms of facts, here are some important ones for everyone to consider:

• In 1955, there were over 550,000 beds in psychiatric hospitals in the US for the severely mental ill.
• In 2025, there were approximately 36,000 beds in psychiatric hospitals for adults with severe mental illness.
• From 1955 to 2025, the US population more than doubled and with it the number of severely mentally ill individuals has increased (at least) proportionately.

Many severely mentally ill people in the US lack housing. They comprise a large portion of the homeless population in the US. Many use illicit drugs to treat their mental health issues because they lack consistent access to medical care. Those are the facts.

 

[Montecfo]

Sorry you feel that way. I thought, "You do you," made it clear I wasn't chiding. Simply laying out facts for folks to do with as they please, and I'm really appreciative of this thread. I also agree that people have to be discerning with charitable giving, which is more easily done online than when someone is pulling at heartstrings on the street. In terms of facts, here are some important ones for everyone to consider:

• In 1955, there were over 550,000 beds in psychiatric hospitals in the US for the severely mental ill.
• In 2025, there were approximately 36,000 beds in psychiatric hospitals for adults with severe mental illness.
• From 1955 to 2025, the US population more than doubled and with it the number of severely mentally ill individuals has increased (at least) proportionately.

Many severely mentally ill people in the US lack housing. They comprise a large portion of the homeless population in the US. Many use illicit drugs to treat their mental health issues because they lack consistent access to medical care. Those are the facts.

I asked if you thought all this was a little much.

Your answer appears to be "no".

I assume most of us do not need a "backgrounder" on homelessness to understand the issue. I did not detect any news flashes in your post. My position on this contemplates everything you said, as I think I made relatively clear several posts ago.

 

[erkevin]

Sorry you feel that way. I thought, "You do you," made it clear I wasn't chiding. Simply laying out facts for folks to do with as they please, and I'm really appreciative of this thread. I also agree that people have to be discerning with charitable giving, which is more easily done online than when someone is pulling at heartstrings on the street. In terms of facts, here are some important ones for everyone to consider:

• In 1955, there were over 550,000 beds in psychiatric hospitals in the US for the severely mental ill.
• In 2025, there were approximately 36,000 beds in psychiatric hospitals for adults with severe mental illness.
• From 1955 to 2025, the US population more than doubled and with it the number of severely mentally ill individuals has increased (at least) proportionately.

Many severely mentally ill people in the US lack housing. They comprise a large portion of the homeless population in the US. Many use illicit drugs to treat their mental health issues because they lack consistent access to medical care. Those are the facts.

The majority of that drop in inpatient population was due to O'Conner vs Donaldson (1975).

This decision served as a massive catalyst for the deinstitutionalization movement in the United States. It reshaped civil commitment laws across the country by requiring proof that an individual is a danger to themselves or others in order to be involuntarily institutionalized, and it bolstered the procedural rights of mental health patients.

 

[Dawg52]

No

 

[goodtogo]

No. No. and No. As a 30 year retired law officer, I would like to friendly remind those that contemplate a one way cash transaction, you are taking a somewhat calculated personal safety risk by engaging. Street people are 99 percent mentally ill and most have knives on their person. Is it worth your irrational feelings of guilt to engage? Especially troubling is when the giver gets in an argument on top of it. I am convinced the street corners would clear up very quickly if people stopped the one way cash transactions.

 

[CO-guy]

I asked if you thought all this was a little much.

Your answer appears to be "no".

I assume most of us do not need a "backgrounder" on homelessness to understand the issue. I did not detect any news flashes in your post. My position on this contemplates everything you said, as I think I made relatively clear several posts ago.

Not you, but someone on this topic gave their opinion of the homeless that: "few would ever accept 'rehab' to get them back in society because they just want to be left alone and asking for free stuff is easy"

With opinions like that, I don't think the facts can be stated enough.

The majority of that drop in inpatient population was due to O'Conner vs Donaldson (1975).

This decision served as a massive catalyst for the deinstitutionalization movement in the United States. It reshaped civil commitment laws across the country by requiring proof that an individual is a danger to themselves or others in order to be involuntarily institutionalized, and it bolstered the procedural rights of mental health patients.

It did indeed! And for the past half-century, a disturbing number of those deinstitutionalized individuals have ended up in two locations; prisons and the streets.

 

[Sunset]

Good thread. I live in NYC so there are plenty of panhandlers. I used to give cash, but now I just offer to buy them pizza, a sandwich, or a smoothie. Most are extremely appreciative so I'll walk in with them to whatever store is within a block and pay for their order.

...

My cousin and I were approached by a fellow, asking for $$ to buy food, so my cousin said come with us and we'll buy you lunch.
For the next 5 minutes of the walk, the fellow expressed how grateful he was and didn't want to bother or occupy our time, so some money would be fine.

Right as we got to the actual burger place, the nice fellow suddenly turned nasty, swore at us and stormed off... Turned out he really didn't want food.

 

[Sue J]

There is a local guy who walks up and down the main road nicely asking people "Do you have fifty cents so I can buy a sandwich?" He must have been using this same line for many years as there aren't any sandwiches for $0.50 any more.

I'm pretty much cashless now. I don't carry a purse any more and just use a minimal wallet for cards. But I tucked a $20 in there just in case, for whatever.

A few weeks ago a woman walked by my crossing guard corner and asked me if I thought the people in the building behind me might have $5.00 for a bus pass. Odd request, I had to ask her to repeat it! Anyway, the building was closed. I'm not a good judge of people but she seemed embarrassed to be asking and I hadn't seen her around before. I told her I only had a $20 but she could have that. She got all choked up and thanked me and wanted to give me a hug.

I hope she got a bus pass! I've been carrying that $20 around for a few years so it was time to pass it on. I came home and put another $20 in my wallet for the next occasion. I always pictured that I would use it for someone in line at the grocery store who had to put things back because they didn't have enough money to pay. But I'll use it again as the moment happens. Once every couple of years isn't going to have an impact on my finances.

As for the panhandlers with the cardboard signs at the busy intersection, I look right past them. The guy at the next corner has the same sign. They seem to have regular hours and spots. We donate monthly to the local food pantry so that we can ignore them.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

"Do you give to panhandlers?"

Nope, that just encourages them, and you do not know where the money is going?

Do we give to homeless shelters? ........... Yes! A way better use of one's hard earned charity money.

 

[CO-guy]

My cousin and I were approached by a fellow, asking for $$ to buy food, so my cousin said come with us and we'll buy you lunch.
For the next 5 minutes of the walk, the fellow expressed how grateful he was and didn't want to bother or occupy our time, so some money would be fine.

Right as we got to the actual burger place, the nice fellow suddenly turned nasty, swore at us and stormed off... Turned out he really didn't want food.

For most of the late-90s and early-00s when I was living in DC I would go to see shows at the 9:30 Club near U street. I would pick up a panhandler 100% of the time since they were waiting outside the club doors and it was a 5 block walk to Ben's Chili Bowl.

Best case scenario, you get a single panhandler to follow you all the way to Ben's under the promise of food because they'd chase other people away. If they gave up, you'd end up with even more aggressive panhandlers. Either way it always ended the same. Me being curse out before walking in alone to buy a bowl of chili.

 

[planuntilthefisthits]

Absolutely Not! When I am out driving around and see my wife standing out there with her little cardboard sign, I drive right past...........

Did you mean your ex-wife?

 

[Dtail]

Did you mean your ex-wife?

Very good.

 

[TheWizard]

My cousin and I were approached by a fellow, asking for $$ to buy food, so my cousin said come with us and we'll buy you lunch.
For the next 5 minutes of the walk, the fellow expressed how grateful he was and didn't want to bother or occupy our time, so some money would be fine.

Right as we got to the actual burger place, the nice fellow suddenly turned nasty, swore at us and stormed off... Turned out he really didn't want food.

How unusual...

 

[Koolau]

Not you, but someone on this topic gave their opinion of the homeless that: "few would ever accept 'rehab' to get them back in society because they just want to be left alone and asking for free stuff is easy"

With opinions like that, I don't think the facts can be stated enough.

It did indeed! And for the past half-century, a disturbing number of those deinstitutionalized individuals have ended up in two locations; prisons and the streets.

Keep in mind that back when there were the 550,000 beds (or what ever was cited) most of those institutionalized were being warehoused - not really treated. Didn't Geraldo make his bones on this subject?

I don't know the answer. I really don't. It's complicated. I do know that what we have now isn't w*rking. It doesn't w*rk for those on the street and it doesn't w*rk for those of us who see them and either help or ignore them.

 

[Montecfo]

Keep in mind that back when there were the 550,000 beds (or what ever was cited) most of those institutionalized were being warehoused - not really treated. Didn't Geraldo make his bones on this subject?

I don't know the answer. I really don't. It's complicated. I do know that what we have now isn't w*rking. It doesn't w*rk for those on the street and it doesn't w*rk for those of us who see them and either help or ignore them.

you are right. There is a lot of money which appears dedicated fo making sure the problem is not solved. Or they are just bad at their "mission".Pretty sure I know which.

 

[USGrant1962]

you are right. There is a lot of money which appears dedicated to making sure the problem is not solved. Or they are just bad at their "mission". Pretty sure I know which.

Yes, the "homeless industrial complex." AI tells me that a rough estimate for the U.S. is somewhere in the range of $20–30+ billion per year across all government levels specifically directed at homelessness, with private charity adding several billion more. Despite this, homelessness increased 18% between the 2023 and 2024...

With ~770K homeless that is ~$40K per homeless person. That money is not actually going to the homeless...