Comments on: Opinion: Don’t give money to the homeless

By: Adam Snider

Adam Snider — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:44:14 +0000

I’m pretty sure forced labour (which seems to be part of what you’re suggesting at the end) isn’t really the solution to homelessness. And, I’d hardly say that “most” homeless people are taking advantage of “the rest of us.” Surely, some of them are. But these people are in the minority.

A significant portion of the homeless population suffers from some sort of mental illness—sometimes undiagnosed—that prevents them from being able to operate in normal society. And, with no permanent address, it’s tough to properly treat them (i.e., provide them with the support/therapy/medication that they need…assuming they can even afford the medication). Often, those with addictions turned to drugs or alcohol in an attempt to self-medicate.

While simply calling them victims is an over-simplification (at some point, people need to take responsibility for their own actions), so is saying that they’re all a bunch of swindlers taking advantage of Joe and Jane Average.

On a lighter note, I had to laugh at your comment about making more creative signs. To paraphrase Chris Rock, if a homeless person has a funny sign, he hasn’t been homeless for very long.

By: Janine

Janine — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:59:20 +0000

Derjis, I’m behind you 100%. (Not literally – don’t turn around) Although I’m against giving money to panhandlers, and have had nothing but bad experiences in doing so, I still acknowledge them as people. I think they do need our help, but what I’m trying to say in the letter is that we’re doing it wrong.

Paul says that making them work would only fail. And I’m sure it wouldn’t work for everyone, I’ve seen some people who’ve just had a switch flipped somewhere inside that makes them different. They aren’t the same successful individual they were mere months ago… but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. I’m certain some of the homeless are just waiting for that chance – or for someone to pay attention to them. If we teach them a skill, prove that we believe they can work to make themselves better… maybe that’s all some of them need to turn their lives around.

And as an aside – any time I ever mention the World Class city of Edmonton – it will always be a joke. I love Edmonton, and I also love the way World Class gets thrown around. “If only we had ____, we’d be World Class!” Suuure we will.

Eh – can you get me a job? Will it pay good? And do I have to move to Calgary? That might be a deal-breaker.

By: Paul Turnbull

Paul Turnbull — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:58:57 +0000

Derjis: Very important points and very well put.

Whether I give to a panhandler or not I always try to acknowledge them. An interesting thing is that even if I’m not giving them money I almost always get a gracious response when all I do is say hello.

At our house we also make an effort to get our bottles to the local bottle pickers. I now try to hand them over directly since I’ve seen guys in pickup trucks collecting bottles left out.

By: Derjis

Derjis — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 01:51:06 +0000

If you don’t want to donate money to the homeless, that’s totally your prerogative… you’re a big girl, capable of making big important decisions like that.
what irritates me most is not the fact that people don’t donate to panhandlers, it that people completely ignore them, and pretend like they don’t exist. sorry to tell you, but panhandlers are people too; they’re really not so far removed from you or I. imgaine how humiliating it must have been for most of them to take that first step, to realize that their lives were so shitty that they had to resort to begging for change on the street. is it really so tough to look them in the eye and muster up a “sorry, dude…”? simple courtesy.
i live in a shady part of downtown, and regularly give my bottles to the homeless bottle-pickers. they’re actually pretty decent people with really interesting stories (especially Dennis, and guy with an 18-inch scar on his chest and a life-story that would make you weep). most of them are surprised and kind of happy to have a ‘normal’ person take some small interest in them. imagine what it would be like to walk around and have everyone you saw completely ignore you…
are all panhandlers on the level, just looking for enough money to get a meal and maybe a place to stay for the night? no, of course not, but how many people do you know in “real life” who are totally up front and honest, who’ve never stolen anything from work, never forgotten to pay for something at the supermarket and not taken it back in to the cashier, or never lied about their qualifications on a resume?
maybe something to think about next time you pretend to check your watch or ‘notice something interesting on the other side of the street’ as you pass by a panhandler.

sorry, janine, this isn’t necessarily directed at you… i’ve never met you, much less seen your reaction to a homeless person…

By: eh

eh — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:08:21 +0000

You should write for the Calgary Sun.