Every time I see someone with a "will work for food" sign, I feel unbelievably sympathetic for this grungy, tattered person standing at the corner of a busy highway intersection. I have seen so many people turn their heads and look away, afraid that if they help, they are fueling someone's drug addiction and bad life choices.
But I wasn't on drugs when I was homeless, and I didn't have the choice of whether to be homeless or not. My parents fell into some financial hard times after my grandfather died, and his death preceded the family business's death. It was an eye opening experience to live in some of the places I did. All seven of us stayed in a rundown hotel room with one bed; I slept on a blanket palate on the floor. We were kicked out of a church homeless shelter after three months because the maximum amount of time the church would let a family stay in the shelter was two months. We obviously overstayed our welcome, but it was fun to play on the playground while I could. My favorite place was the tent at a state camping ground. We stayed there for the remaining winter and spring before we moved to my grandparents' backyard. That Thanksgiving we split a bowl of macaroni and cheese, and I'm not talking a big bowl either. Mom cried so hard that day.
Even though being homeless was probably the most humbling experience I will ever go through, I'm glad I was able to know what it feels like to not have the newest of things all the time. I learned that homelessness is a sad conundrum of our society; someone that passes by a homeless person sees and hears him because he cries out for help, but he is the most ignored because he is the poorest out of all those crying out for help.
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kevin and i always always always alwayssss give money to homelss people, although i prefer to buy them food my self, then take it to them.
I definitely prefer taking food to them, too. That's what we needed more than money anyway. I also like little toys and trinkets for the little ones. We were homeless for a long time when I was young, from four until I was seven. I enjoyed most the big black trash bag we got for Christmas one year from and elderly couple. The toys were cheap, in retrospect, but they made that Christmas wonderful.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world..." - Ghandi
Happi Ness
I know I couldn't even imagine what it's like to not have a home. It must be a really bad feeling. And if I could know that every homeless person out there was as unlucky as you were, I would fork over twenty bucks every time I saw someone begging for money on the street. But I know from personal experience, from relatives who are homeless because they have drug addictions, that not everyone deserves that money. There is always a way to better yourself, no matter what. Someone in your situation couldn't have done that- and I understand that. But many homeless people either rely on the money people give them to buy them drugs- they can get a free meal from a shelter just like anyone else, but they beg for money because they want to get drugs. I know I may be wrong, but I just don't feel that I should give money to someone who chooses not to better himself or herself in life by just getting a job: maybe not as some executive, but just some kind of job to feed themselves instead of relying on others to go out and earn hard money for them. That's just the way I feel, no offense to you I hope. And I hope you never end up in that situation again.
Ali
I have family like that, too. You do realize that that's different though, that's family trying to take advantage of you. There are as many people like me as there are drug addicts; I am not special in my case. People struggle everyday with poverty, especially in the south. I'm not saying go out and give money to the first homeless person you see, but there are programs set up that get people that want to help in touch with people that are like what I was. These are usually local programs and through churches, so I don't know what one would be in your area.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world..." - Ghandi